第75回国連総会第5委員会主要会期における議題143「国連財政状況の改善」に関する木村大使ステートメント

令和2年10月16日
(Check against delivery)
 
Statement by H.E. KIMURA Tetsuya
Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
Agenda item 143
Improving the financial situation of the United Nations
Main session of the Fifth Committee

Mr. Chair,
 
At the outset, I would like to thank Ms. Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, for providing a comprehensive overview of the financial situation of the United Nations.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
It is the responsibility of each Member State to pay its assessment in full and in a timely manner. For its part, Japan has already fulfilled its obligation and paid all assessed contributions as of today in spite of the impact of COVID-19 on our economy and the domestic financial situation. Japan's determination to play an active role in contributing to the implementation of UN mandates remains unchanged.
 
 At the same time, the resources of the Member States, which are the taxpayers’ money, are not unlimited. In this regard, we are concerned that the programme budget in its entirety has expanded over the years. My delegation would like to stress that when resource requirements are elaborated, it is important to set realistic levels of resources that are both necessary and sufficient for the delivery of given mandates and that the total budget needs to be accommodated within limited resources.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
It is a concern that the liquidity situation of the regular budget is continuously deteriorating. Cash is an indispensable tool to achieve the goal, namely, the implementation of mandates. Achieving the goal should not be hampered by the tool. We will examine carefully the impact of the liquidity situation in the implementation of mandates during the course of the budget assessment.
 
 My delegation would also like to reiterate its request that the Secretariat continue to make efforts to utilize the approved budget in the most efficient, effective and accountable manner and, to that end, remains committed to engaging constructively in deliberations at this Committee.
 
Thank you.