Sumario: October 14, 2002: Statement by Mr. Thure Christiansen, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN, on behalf of the European Union, on the Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations. Fifty-Seventh session of the General Assembly, Fifth Committee: Item 117 (New York)
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the Associated Countries - Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, as well as the EFTA countries of the European Economic Area - Liechtenstein and Norway align themselves with this statement.
Let me first of all thank through you the Chairman of the Committee on Contributions for introducing the report contained in document A/57/11 and for being present here today.
The European Union would like to thank the CoC for its recommendations regarding multi-year payment plans, which are based on the report of the Secretary-General contained in document A/57/65.
The European Union agrees with the Secretary-General that a linkage between the application of Article 19 of the Charter and implementation of multi-year payment plans will provide a greater incentive for Member States to submit and keep to a payment plan.
We support the recommendation of the CoC that the plans must provide for payment each year of the Member State's current year assessments and a part of its arrears. Furthermore, the plans should, where possible, generally provide for the elimination of a Member State's arrears within a period of up to 6 years.
As proposed by the Committee on Contributions, multi-year payment plans could be kept voluntary and not automatically be linked to other measures, if they in this way would constitute the best possible tool for reducing unpaid assessed contributions of Member States. However, the Secretary-General should be invited to report annually to the General Assembly, through the CoC, on whether multi-year payment plans actually lead to reductions in Member States' unpaid assessed contributions.
Mr. Chairman,
Against this background, the European Union can lend its support to the recommendation of the CoC that multi-year payment plans could be taken into account as one factor by that Committee when considering requests for exemption under Article 19 of the Charter.
Mr. Chairman,
The recommendations of the Committee on Contributions contained in paragraphs 77 and 93 of the report regarding appeals by Member States for a change of assessment raise issues of great complexity. We stand ready to work with you Mr. Chairman and all interested delegations in order to find a good and viable solution that covers all concerns.
Let me specify some of the elements to be resolved.
It is absolutely essential that we ensure the continued integrity of the norms set out in Article 19 of the Charter and pay full respect to the scale of assessments as defined in resolution 55/5 B. Paragraph 1 of that resolution sets out the elements and criteria for the scale of assessments. In paragraph 2 it is stated that these elements of the scale of assessment are fixed until 2006 and apply without prejudice to rule 160 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. This means that,
on the one hand, we must stand ready to consider appeals by Members for a change of assessments under rule 160 of the rules of procedure. On the other hand, such considerations must not lead to annual renegotiations of the Scale of Assessments.
The CoC has pointed out in the past, ad hoc adjustments of the rates of assessments of Member States would normally create major distortions of the scale of assessments and a determination of assessment rates for Member States that better reflected their current capacity to pay could only be achieved in the context of a new scale of assessments.
We must make it clear that no ad hoc adjustment of assessment rates of Member States under rule 160 of the rules of procedure should lead to any increase in the rates of assessment of other Member States included in the scale of assessments adopted by the General Assembly.
Against this background, the European Union sees an urgent need to request the Committee on Contributions to submit proposals to the General Assembly at its 58th session on how to set out clear and objective criteria for the application of rule 160 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly with regard to appeals by Member States for a change of assessments, taking into account past practices established by the Committee on Contributions.
The Fifth Committee should consider these proposals during its 58th session as a matter of priority. In the meantime, we should during this session decide that no further appeals by Member States for a change of assessments can be considered prior to adoption by the General Assembly of such criteria for the application of rule 160.
Mr. Chairman,
In our view, there are several ways in which we can deal with the requests from Argentina and Afghanistan during this session, taking into consideration the points I just outlined.
We can endorse the changes of assessments proposed by the CoC and request the Secretary-General to ensure that such a decision will not have adverse effects on the financing by Member States of the appropriations for 2003, when implementing related decisions by the General Assembly under the provisions of financial regulations 5.1 and 5.2.
Another option, which we are open to consider, is to refer the matter to the 58th session, pending the further considerations by the CoC outlined above. Let me add though that we could only accept such a solution provided it would not prejudge a future decision by the General Assembly regarding the requests put forward to the CoC by the countries in question.
Mr. Chairman,
The European Union would also like to welcome the admission of Switzerland to the United Nations as decided in General Assembly resolution 57/1 of 10 September 2002. It is a great pleasure to welcome a fellow European country to the United Nations.
The European Union also welcomes the admission of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the United Nations as decided in General Assembly resolution A/57/3 of 27 September 2002. It is a great pleasure to welcome this the newest state in the world to the United Nations.
The European Union takes great pleasure in endorsing the recommendation of the Committee as contained in paragraph 106 of the report and we look forward to continued and close working relationship with Switzerland and Timor-Leste.
Mr. Chairman,
The European Union would like to express its thanks to the Secretary-General for his letter dated 27 December 2001 to the President of the General Assembly of the 56th Session. This letter, which was contained in doc. A/56/767, concerns the treatment of arrears of Former Yugoslavia, which amount to 16,2 mio. USD.
We would also like to thank the Committee on Contributions for its helpful advice, including the proposed roadmap for further deliberations in the Fifth Committee on this issue.
Based on the information provided, the Fifth Committee should be in a position to consider the main question, which the Secretary-General has raised, namely how to deal with the arrears from Former Yugoslavia.
We will - as has been the case in connection with earlier deliberations of this Committee regarding this issue - work closely with all interested delegations and the Secretariat during the informal consultations in order to seek progress during this session.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
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