第74回国連総会第5委員会再開会期第二部閉会にあたっての大菅大使ステートメント

 
Mr. Chair,
 
First of all, my delegation would like to express our most sincere appreciation to Your Excellency's distinguished leadership in guiding the work of this Committee during the 74th Session of the General Assembly till this last day, one month and one day later compared to the last year’s calendar. We are also grateful to all members of the Bureau and the Secretariat for their dedicated support to the Committee under the unprecedented COVID-19 circumstances.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
As the COVID-19 continues to pose a threat to human security worldwide, it is important that the peacekeeping missions ensure the safety, security and health of their personnel and support national authorities in their response to COVID-19 within mandates. Conscious of such urgent priority and the uncertainties caused by the pandemic, my delegation believes that the Committee has agreed to provide adequate funding to the 2020/21 PKO budget and left its flexibility unconstrained. My delegation calls on the Secretary-General to maintain fiscal discipline and judicious use of resources, all the more so as each mission will need to adjust itself to future developments of the pandemic. We trust that the Member States will be kept fully informed in a timely manner.
 
Mr. Chair,
 
Japan, as a strong believer of the human security concept, attaches great importance to ensuring that peacekeeping missions operate efficiently and deliver effectively on the ground and that the budget is used with much needed accountability to achieve precisely this objective. In this regard, my delegation is pleased that the Committee reached an agreement this year not only on the budget figures but also on policies that guide its implementation in priority issues such as accountability of programmatic activities and long vacant posts. We strongly hope that the General Assembly’s requests will be fully and faithfully put into practice to enhance transparency, accountability and better management of the missions.
 
At the same time, it is our strong hope that next year, the Committee will be able to provide policy guidance on a wider range of important matters pertaining to peacekeeping operations, including budget forecasting and accountability, in the form of an independent resolution on cross-cutting issues.
 
In closing, I would like to express my delegation’s deep appreciation to all delegations for their tireless engagement to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion and also for their personal trust vested in my delegation during this process.
 
I wish you all a well-deserved rest. Please stay safe and healthy throughout the summer.
 
Thank you.