STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON THE ORGANISATION OF WORK OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE AT THE FIRST PART OF THE 78TH RESUMED SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK, 26 FEBRUARY 2024

Mr Chair,

1                 I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the organisation of work of the Fifth Committee at the first part of its 78^th resumed session. ASEAN aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uganda on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2                 ASEAN congratulates you and your Bureau on the early completion of the work of the Fifth Committee at the main session. Under your leadership, we hope to find consensus on a human resources resolution and other administrative and budgetary issues that would be considered during this session. ASEAN also expresses our appreciation to the UN Secretariat for their continued support of the work of this Committee.

Mr Chair,

3                 ASEAN wishes to highlight three points. First, the dismal state of the UN’s liquidity brought about by the non-payment of assessed contributions, particularly by one major contributor. Despite the Fifth Committee’s best efforts to finalise on time the 2024 programme budget for the UN, we are dismayed to learn that mandate delivery will be negatively affected as cost-saving measures are enhanced, including hiring and spending restrictions and reduction of Secretariat support for meetings in New York and other locations. We strongly call on Member States that have the capacity to pay their assessed contributions to do so in full, on time, and without conditions. Otherwise, it is untenable to expect the Organisation to be able to deliver the mandates that we ourselves have given it and maintain good staffing levels and welfare for staff. We hope that this situation will improve soonest and look forward to the briefing by the Controller on the management of the liquidity situation this Friday. 

4                 Second, the human resource policies of the Organisation should evolve together with the Secretary-General’s reforms for the UN, including the future of multilateralism. As the Fifth Committee embarks on a five week-long discussion on Human Resources Management, we need to bear in mind that human resource policies should ensure that staff are adaptable and future-ready, to better support the Organisation’s work in an evolving and complex world. Further, it is equally important to continually reflect on the composition of the Organisation’s staff, to ensure that the Organisation remains multinational in character, and to be able to benefit from a diverse source of views and experiences.

5                 Third, ASEAN will closely follow discussions on budget-related agenda items this session. Of note, adequate resources are needed to facilitate the entry into force and effective implementation of the BBNJ Agreement that is of importance to ASEAN member states and other developing countries. Similarly, we look forward to the discussion on the Secretary-General’s proposal on adequate, predictable, and sustainable funding for the proper functioning of the Resident Coordinator System. However, we are disappointed to learn that the item could only be introduced at the earliest on 26 March, two days before the closure of this session. We urge the Secretariat and the ACABQ to finalise their respective reports expeditiously, to make time for the introduction and thorough discussion on this important item.

6                 In closing, Mr Chair, I wish to assure you that ASEAN will continue to work constructively with all delegations towards the successful conclusion of this session. 

Thank you.

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