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Statement by Mr. Hajime Kishimori
Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations

 

Agenda item 134: Program Budget 2016-2017:

Umoja / ERP

 

Main Part of the Seventieth Session

Of Fifth Committee of the General Assembly

19 November 2015

 

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

            At the outset, I would like to thank Mr. Yukio Takasu, Under-Secretary-General for Management, Mr. Salhina Mkumba, Director of External Audit (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and Chair of the Audit Operations Committee of the Board of Auditors, and Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), for introducing their respective reports on Umoja / ERP. I wish to briefly outline my delegation’s views on this issue.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

            Japan has been continuously supporting the numerous initiatives to transform and modernize the business of the U.N., including Umoja/ERP, IPSAS, ICT and human resource reform, because we firmly believe that such initiatives are essential for the U.N., which just celebrated its 70th anniversary, to remain relevant and meaningful in the face of the new challenges of the 21st Century. Recognizing that Umoja/ERP is at the center of management reform for the United Nations, my delegation warmly welcomes the progress achieved through the deployment of Cluster 3 and 4, notably successfully roll-out here in New York earlier this month.

 

            This is a big step, but still an initial step. Umoja will never be complete until Umoja Extension 2 is fully deployed. In this context, my delegation is concerned with the delays of Extension 2, and expects that the Secretary-General will submit to the General Assembly a comprehensive report on Umoja implementation which includes the reassessment of Extension 2 for its consideration at the first resumed part of its seventieth session.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

            In the meantime, we should be aware that Umoja is a long term project which has been making progress and yielding qualitative changes in the U.N. system. The Member States have collectively invested a great deal in this project, and deserve to receive a return on their investment.

 

            To that end, as the proverb goes “crawl before you walk”; my delegation is convinced that now is the time for all of us to show patience and to continue to give sufficient support to the implementation of Umoja, which will materialize better and modernized U.N.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

            In conclusion, let me reiterate that, in order to achieve the success of a business transformation project of this magnitude, organizational readiness across the entire Secretariat is imperative. That being said, let me assure you that Japan will actively and positively participate in the forthcoming discussions to further accelerate the Umoja project, together with all the stakeholders under your distinguished guidance and the able stewardship of the Secretariat.

 

Thank you.