第74回国連総会第5委員会主要会期における議題135 「2020年度予算：予備費」に関する尾崎総合企画調整課課長補佐ステートメント

 
 
Mr. Chair,
 
At the outset, I would like to thank Mr. Chandru Ramanathan, Assistant Secretary-General, Controller, Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget and Mr. Cihan Terzi, Chair of the ACABQ for their introduction of respective reports.
 
We note that the report of the Secretary-General indicates that potential new charges for 2020, consisting of programme budget implications and revised estimates, amount to $64.5 million, representing nearly 300% of the approved level of the contingency fund for the year, on which Member States have been requested to make a difficult decision.
 
This is not the first time that the level of the contingency fund has been exceeded, and we note with particular concern that since the biennium of 2012-2013, the total amount of PBIs and revised estimates have continually exceeded the approved level of the contingency fund for respective biennia and that the size of excess continues to grow over the years. This shows that budgetary discipline at the UN is weakening.
 
For 2020, the first year of the annual budget cycle to be implemented on a trial basis, despite the reduced period of time to be covered by the contingency fund, i.e., from the development of the proposed programme budget to the approval of the proposal, the size of excess over the approved level of the contingency fund is greater than that of previous years on an annual basis. My delegation expresses its deep concern on the high pace at which budgetary discipline is loosening.
 
 
Mr. Chair,
 
As part of our efforts to address this trend, in the context of the Human Rights Council, Japan has been calling for enhanced communication and coordination between New York and Geneva not only between the Secretariats of both duty stations but also Member State delegations in these two locations. We will engage in various fora of reform discussion in Geneva including consultations on increasing efficiency of the Council, 2020 review of human rights treaty bodies and 2021 review of the Council, so that Member States and the OHCHR could constructively discuss how to improve working method and avoid duplications. By doing so, we intend to make use of our resources more effectively for the ultimate goal of the protection and promotion of universal human rights.      
 
In addition to these individual efforts, in order to rectify the overall situation, we must ensure that the contingency fund is operated in strict accordance with General Assembly resolutions 41/213 and 42/211. Japan would like to call on all Member States to consider seriously to review the current practices pertaining to the contingency fund and consider measures such as setting priorities of additional programmatic expenditures and not utilizing the contingency fund to cover foreseeable expenditures so that budgetary discipline is restored.
 
 
Thank you.