UN SECRETARIAT SEEKS MORE THAN $5 BILLION TO COVER WORK FOR NEXT TWO YEARS

New York, Oct 29 2009 7:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today proposed a budget of just over $5 billion to cover the work of the United Nations Secretariat for the next two years, telling a General Assembly committee that only a slight increase over the budget is needed despite increased demands for the UN’s services.

Under Mr. Ban’s proposal, which is being examined by the Assembly’s Fifth Committee (administrative and budgetary), the Secretariat is requesting $5.06 billion for 2010 and 2011, which represents real growth of $22.4 million, or half a percentage point, over the previous biennium.

There would be a net reduction of 24 posts for the world body, with an increase in the Secretariat’s Professional category being offset by a cut in jobs in General Service and related categories.

Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4196">told the committee that the proposals take into account the global economic and financial crisis and reflect strict budgetary discipline, balancing growth in some areas with reallocation and realignment in others.

“The United Nations faces increasing demands for its services,” Mr. Ban said. “As Chief Administrative Officer, I am committed to management reform and to greater transparency, accountability and efficiency.”

To that end, Mr. Ban highlighted the continuing costs of implementing a new information and communications technology (ICT) system to help the world body better plan and manage its resources, personnel needs and reporting process. He also drew attention to the expense of training related to International Public Sector Accounting Standards.

Mr. Ban noted that resources have also been allocated to ensure that staff have the skills necessary to meet the evolving needs of the Organization.

“In order to achieve the goals of the Secretariat-wide ICT Strategy, there is an urgent need to create a budgeting environment in which major ICT projects are considered strategic and different from recurring operational expenses.

“Without this kind of ‘capital’ budgeting arrangement for ICT, it will be impossible to overcome systemic under-investment in ICT, which has seen the Secretariat fall far behind other organizations in overall effectiveness and efficiency,” said Mr. Ban.

A strengthened and unified security management system is among a number of significant expenditures likely to be presented in separate report to the General Assembly.

“My proposals will enable us to strengthen security for our staff, their dependents and UN premises,” said Mr. Ban, urging Member States to consider these proposals favourably. “After all, our people are your people.”

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BAN NAMES SENIOR OFFICIAL TO LEAD EFFORTS TO COMBAT GROWING NUMBER OF HUNGRY

New York, Oct 29 2009 6:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today named a Special Representative on Food Security and Nutrition to stem and reverse the mounting number of children, women and men worldwide suffering from chronic hunger.

David Nabarro, who has been appointed to the new role, is tasked with developing a more coherent international response to combat food insecurity and malnutrition which now affects over one billion people globally, with a focus on multilateral agencies taking the lead and increased international assistance.

Dr. Nabarro, a qualified physician from the United Kingdom, has had a long career working on national health programmes around the world, including as the Executive Director of the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO), and since January has been responsible for coordinating the UN High Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis.

The Task Force – consisting of UN agencies, funds and programmes; international financial institutions; and the World Trade Organization (<"http://www.wto.org/">WTO) – was set up to respond to the plight of the hundreds of millions of people affected by food insecurity and to the need for longer-term investment in agricultural development, fair trade, social protection and nutrition.

Mr. Nabarro told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York last month that the lack of “enough food to eat, or food insecurity, is the ultimate degradation for humanity,” adding that it weakens and imperils individuals, while disempowering and destabilizing societies.

He emphasized a need for greater national planning for food security, a transformation of markets and trading systems in the agricultural sector to work more in the interest of poor people and their countries, stronger social protection and safety nets in development programmes and a re-engagement in the fight against malnutrition, which affects 50 million women and children at any one time.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGAIN CALLS FOR LIFTING OF UNITED STATES EMBARGO AGAINST CUBA

New York, Oct 29 2009 1:10PM
The General Assembly has voted for the 18th consecutive year to condemn the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba for the past half century and called for it to be lifted.

Member States voted overwhelmingly yesterday to adopt a non-binding resolution that voices concern that the embargo is having “adverse effects” on the Cuban people and on Cuban nationals living in other countries.

The text of the resolution reiterates previous calls on countries “to refrain from promulgating and applying laws and measures” that do not conform to their obligations to reaffirm freedom of trade and navigation.

It also urges States to repeal or invalidate any such laws as soon as possible and asks Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon prepare a report for the General Assembly on the implementation of the resolution.

There were 187 votes in favour of the resolution, three votes against (the United States, Israel, Palau) and two abstentions (Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands).

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