(Check against delivery)

 

Statement by Ms. Eriko Uemura

Adviser, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations

 

Agenda Item134: Proposed Programme Budget for the biennium 2016-2017

Strategic Heritage Plan of the United Nations Office at Geneva

 

Main part of the Seventieth Session

Fifth Committee of the General Assembly

17 November 2015

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

     At the outset, I would like to thank Mr. Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for introducing their respective reports.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

     The Strategic Heritage Plan (SHP) is another huge capital project for us without so much taking a breath after the Capital Master Plan, and we are reaching the moment of truth as we discuss the project in greater detail in terms of scope, schedule and overall costs in this session. Cognizant of the urgency of the project, my delegation is ready to scrutinize the project proposal made by the Secretary-General in order to minimize the financial burden to us.    

 

Mr. Chairman,  

 

    In this context, we would like to reiterate the importance and necessity of continuously exploring all possible alternative funding mechanisms, including Public-Private Partnership, with the aim of reducing the overall assessment on Member States. In this regard, we are interested in obtaining further updates on the efforts the Secretary-General made in response to our requests to this effect in informal discussions.  

Mr. Chairman,

 

     In its resolution 69/274A, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to incorporate flexible workplace strategies in the ongoing design of SHP. We trust that the Secretary-General is making a genuine effort to implement our request in a timely manner and to incorporate these strategies at an early stage of the project in order to avoid unnecessary additional costs to Member States.   

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

     My delegation looks forward to participating in the discussion on this agenda item constructively under your able guidance.

 

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.