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Statement by H.E. Ambassador Jun Yamazaki

Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations

 

Agenda item 130: Programme Budget biennium 2012-2013

First Performance Report

 

Fifth Committee

Main Part of the Sixty-Seventh Session

of the United Nations General Assembly

December 17, 2012

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

At the outset, my delegation would like to thank Ms. Maria Eugenia Casar, the Controller/Assistant Secretary-General and Mr. Collen V. Kelapile, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for introducing their respective reports on the first performance report on the programmes budget for the biennium 2012-2013.  I wish to briefly outline my delegation’s views on this issue.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

At the last session, we achieved a historical reduction by adopting a budget for this biennium of $5.152 billion, which is about 5% less than the previous budget of $5.416 billion. My delegation would like to recall the commitment of the Secretary General, made when addressing the General Assembly on December 24, 2011, to instruct all of his managers “to continue finding new ways to make the most of our precious resources and in one year to return with greater cost savings”.

 

As Japan has always counted on the Secretary General’s sincere commitment, our delegation would like to see how this Secretary General’s commitment has been materialized during the past year in this Organization, especially with respect to cost savings.  Our delegation would also like to request the Secretary-General to seek further cost savings in the second half of this biennium across the Secretariat. 

 

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

Under this agenda item, the Secretary General requests the General Assembly to decide on around $120 million that derives from post-related actual expenditure experience in 2012.  In this regard, Japan emphasizes the importance of the Secretary-General’s efforts to meet additional requirements including recosting within the level of the approved budget through further efficiency and cost saving measures.  Japan would like to urge all managers to follow the Secretary General’s guidance in this regard.

 

Mr. Chairman,

 

I would like to assure you that my delegation will participate actively in the consultations on this agenda item under your able guidance.

 

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.