(As delivered)
Statement by Mr. Katsuhiko Imada
Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
Agenda Item 134: Proposed Programme Budget for the Biennium 2016-2017
Revised Estimates Resulting from Resolutions and Decisions
Adopted by the Economic and Social Council During 2016
Main Part of the Seventy-First Session of the Fifth Committee
30 November 2016
Madam Chair,
At the outset, I would like to thank Ms. Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller and Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), for introducing their respective reports. Today I wish to very briefly share my delegation’s comments on this issue.
Madam Chair,
My delegation wishes to stress in this Committee that it was regrettable that the ECOSOC resolutions regarding ESCWA and ESCAP, on which the present revised estimates are based, were adopted on 25 July this year under unacceptably irregular circumstances in terms of the issuance of oral statements on programme budget implications.
My delegation expresses serious concern that the PBI statements were issued in ECOSOC in spite of the fact that there had previously been no PBI statement upon adoption of relevant ESCWA resolution, and the relevant ESCAP resolutions were adopted on the basis of the statement by the Secretariat that there would be no programme budget implications.
My delegation is of the view that issuing PBI statements in such a manner should be considered a violation of the relevant rules of procedure and, as this was the background of the present revised estimates, looks forward to receiving, including during the informal consultations, an explanation thereabout from the Secretariat as well as its confirmation and commitment not to repeat this kind of presentation of PBI in the future.
Madam Chair,
Finally, my delegation is committed to participating in this important issue in a constructive manner under your able guidance.
I thank you, Madam Chair.
