STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS BY COUNSELLOR FELICIA CHUA ON AGENDA ITEM 134 ON THE REVISED ESTIMATES RELATED TO THE PROGRAMME BUDGET FOR 2024 ON THE RESIDENT COORDINATOR SYSTEM AT THE FIRST PART OF THE 78TH RESUMED SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK, 25 MARCH 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 revised estimates related to the Resident Coordinator System. ASEAN aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uganda on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. ASEAN would like to express its appreciation to Under-Secretary-General Catherine Pollard for introducing the report of the Secretary-General. We also thank the ACABQ for its report.

2                 ASEAN attaches great importance to the need for sustainable, predictable, and adequate financing of the entire development pillar, including the Resident Coordinator System. We acknowledge that the Resident Coordinator System cannot operate and deliver the services that we require with inadequate resources. More broadly, we note that the entire development pillar consistently faces funding challenges. ASEAN supports a more in-depth discussionacross the board, including in ongoing discussions in the Second Committee, to understand the reasons for this, and to address the issue in a holistic manner across the whole development pillar.

3                 ASEAN wishes to highlight three points. First, we note that the report on funding for the Resident Coordinator System was presented in the form of a revised estimates for the 2024 programme budget. This could present an artificial time constraint on the Fifth Committee on an important matter that requires time for consideration and consultation. Presenting the proposal as a revised estimates may have also exacerbated the funding gap in voluntary contributions pending conclusion of our discussions. In addition, we understand that the ongoing discussions in the Second Committee on the Funding Compact also touch on the Resident Coordinator System. We stress that the parallel discussions in the Second and Fifth Committees should be complementary and help us understand the specific needs of the Resident Coordinator System in a holistic manner.

4                 Second, the Secretary-General has proposed to convert over 800 posts from extrabudgetary to regular budget funding. This is by any standard a high, if not unprecedented, number of post conversions. We note, in particular, that the ACABQ had found it impossible to analyse the posts proposed for conversion given the absence of clear criteria and justifications. There is therefore a need for more information from the Secretariat on how each of these posts are core to the Resident Coordinator System, and whether some of these functions could be streamlined, such as through the sharing of staffing resources. This is in order to enhance efficiency of the Resident Coordinator System and the UN as a whole. 

5                 Third, ASEAN reiterates its view that the UN must strive to benefit from the diversity of its workforce. In this regard, we hope to address the issue of geographical representation as we consider the financing of the Resident Coordinator System and call for the Secretariat to make more deliberate efforts to improve the current situation at all levels of the Resident Coordinator System. While we note that over 55 per cent of resident coordinators currently come from developing countries, there is room for improvement, given that developing countries account for almost 70 per cent of UN member states. We are especially concerned about the disparity at the P-3 level and above where nearly half of the staff come from one regional group, compared to only 23 percent from the next largest regional group. To help in our deliberations on such a significant matter, it is important that the Secretariat provides precise information on the overall personnel deployment in the Resident Coordinator System, including the utilisation of UN Volunteers and gratis personnel seconded from member states.

6                 To conclude, ASEAN looks forward to engaging constructively with all sides on this issue. 

Thank you.