第76回国連総会第5委員会再開会期第一部における議題140「国連財政状況の改善」に関する木村大使ステートメント

 
  Mr. Chair,
 
At the outset, I would like to thank Mr. Chandramouli Ramanathan, Assistant Secretary-General, Controller, for presenting the Secretary-General’s report on Improving the financial situation of the United Nations, as well as Mr. Abdallah Bachar Bong, Chair of the ACABQ, for introducing the Advisory Committee's report.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
Japan is pleased to hear that the financial situation of the Organization has improved compared with the last few years, owing to a 113.3 percent collections rate of Regular budget contributions in 2021 as well as continuing efforts by the Secretariat to better manage liquidity. Thanks to these collective efforts, the Organization could even start this year with a cash surplus of over 300 million dollars. We thank those Member States which have made efforts to shift away from the trend of delayed payment and encourage them to continue to fulfill their obligations.
 
It is the responsibility of each Member State to pay its assessment in full and in a timely manner. For our part, Japan has been faithfully fulfilling its obligation, even under the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and the severe domestic financial situation, and we will continue to
 
do so. Japan's determination to actively contribute to the implementation of the UN's mandates remains unchanged.
 
 We commend the Secretary-General, the Controller, and the entire Secretariat for their careful and effective management of liquidity for the better implementation of mandates. Japan appreciates the Secretariat’s continuous efforts to provide information as needed on the situation of the Organization.
 
With that being said, Japan remains concerned by the liquidity challenges in, inter alia, the regular budget, which prevent the Secretary-General from fully implementing the mandates given by Member States. In this respect, Japan welcomes the Secretary-General's efforts to propose concrete measures to address this matter and is ready to discuss them constructively.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
Taking this opportunity, my delegation would like to stress the importance of setting realistic resource levels that are both necessary and sufficient for the delivery of the given mandates. At the same time, we reiterate that the resources of Member States are not unlimited. It is the shared responsibility of Member States and the Secretariat to constantly seek to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of resources so that we can maintain a high level of accountability to our taxpayers.
 
In our deliberations, we will continue to call for budgetary discipline, as it is indispensable for the UN to operate and deliver its mandates with accountability. My delegation is committed to having constructive discussions based on this principle.
 
Thank you.