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Statement by Mr. Hiroshi Onuma
First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
On agenda item 134: Proposed Programme budget for the Biennium 2014/15
Revised estimates/Subvention/PBIs: Cambodian Courts
Main Part of the Sixty-Eighth Session
United Nations General Assembly
10 December 2013
Thank you Mr. Chairman,
At the outset, my delegation would like to thank Mr. Yukio Takasu, Under-Secretary-General for Management, Ms. Maria Eugenia Casar, Assistant-Secretary-General / Controller and Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), for introducing their respective reports on this agenda item. In the following statement, I wish to share my delegation’s views on the relevant reports on the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to begin by applauding the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for what it has achieved since its establishment. It is encouraging to hear that the procedure of closing statements for the first segment of the ‘Case 002’ was completed this October, and a decision is expected to be rendered next year. Japan welcomes all these positive and tangible developments by the ECCC, which show that it is moving step-by-step forward to serve justice in Cambodia.
The ECCC is of great importance for the Cambodian people to come to terms with the tragic history of their country, to bring justice, and to enhance the rule of law. In this regard, Japan has been significantly engaged in and has contributed to the ECCC. We believe that the ECCC is applying the final touches to the peace process in Cambodia, which Japan has been actively supporting.
Mr. Chairman,
My delegation also recognizes that the ECCC faces serious financial difficulties, and understands that this critical situation needs to be dealt with in order for the ECCC to continue carrying out its judicial activities. In this regard, my delegation is of the view that the Secretary-General’s proposal for a subvention for the ECCC is an option that deserves appropriate consideration.
On the other hand, given that the trials held at the ECCC has been prolonged, my delegation has called upon the Secretariat and the ECCC to ensure that further progress is made on all judicial proceedings in a more efficient and effective manner. In this connection, my delegation stresses the importance and necessity of establishing some strategy for the ECCC to accomplish its completion in a concrete manner while continuing to ensure fair and impartial trials and preventing any form of impunity.
Mr. Chairman,
My delegation looks forward to participating in the discussion on this agenda constructively, taking into account the recommendations of the ACABQ.
