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Statement by Ms. Eriko Yajima

First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations

 

Agenda item 144: Administration of Justice

 

Fifth Committee

Sixty-ninth Session of the United Nations General Assembly

16 October 2014

 

 

 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

 

            At the outset, my delegation would like to express its gratitude to Ms. Linda Taylor, the Executive Director of the Office of the Administration of Justice, Mr. Johnston Barkat, the Assistant Secretary-General, UN Ombudsman and Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for introducing their reports. 

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

            My delegation would like to emphasize that the UN’s system for the administration of justice (AOJ) is a crucially important tool for the effective management of human resources at this organization. We believe that the AOJ should have a positive impact on staff/management relations and improve the performance of both staff members and managers in order to promote efficiency, fairness and accountability in the UN.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

            My delegation reiterates that informal resolution of conflict is an essential element of the system of the AOJ, and all possible use should be made of informal mechanisms in order to avoid unnecessary litigation. In this context, my delegation would like to express its support for informal resolution of conflict at this early stage and commend the efforts by the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Service in this regard. Moreover, we appreciate the effectiveness of the Management Evaluation Unit for facilitating the resolution of cases before they proceed to tribunal.

 

            My delegation looks forward to receiving an information of the details and the progress of the voluntary supplemental funding mechanism for the Office of Staff Legal Assistance. It is important to understand the trends of a new mechanism during the experimental period in order to seek out better methods for improving the system.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

            We share the view of the ACABQ that an interim assessment of the system of the administration of justice is desirable at this juncture in order to evaluate the functioning of the system to date and to ensure that it is meeting its objectives as a mechanism to effectively resolve labour disputes within the Organization. In this connection, we are willing to engage further in discussion towards the effective and efficient implementation of the interim independent assessment.

 

            In closing, I would like to reiterate that my delegation will participate constructively in the discussions during the informal consultations on all aspects of this agenda item. 

 

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.