9 Apr 2012

GA / BUDGET REFORM

The General Assembly passed a draft resolution entitled “Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat” but failed to reach consensus and rejected an amendment proposed by the United States. UNTV

Posted at: April 9, 2012 7:04 pm

Duration: 02:06

Available in: SD

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STORY: GA / BUDGET REFORM
TRT: 2.06
SOURCE: UNTV 
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 9 APRIL 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

9 APRIL 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, General Assembly
3. Wide shot, delegates
4. SOUNDUP (English) Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly:
"A recorded vote has been requested. Those in favour of the oral amendment, please signify. Those against, abstain."
5. Wide shot, voting board
6. SOUNDUP (English) Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly:
"Since the oral amendment submitted by the representative of the United States has not been adopted, we shall proceed to take a decision on the draft resolution as a whole."
7. Wide shot, voting board
8. Wide shot, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdelhakim Mihoubi, Counsellor, Algeria, on behalf of Group 77 and China:
"There have been suggestions that the adoption of the accountability resolution by a vote undermines the push for greater accountability at the UN and the role of the Secretary-General as chief administrating officer of the organisation. It has even been suggested that by adopting this resolution the General Assembly has halted or even reversed the reform initiative of the Secretary-General. Mr. President, the Group of 77 and China states categorically that today's resolution does not in any way undermine efforts to achieve greater accountability nor will it delay or prevent United Nations reform." 
10. Wide shot, delegates
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph M. Torsella, United States Representative for Management and Reform:
"The Fifth Committee and the General Assembly had an opportunity this session to strengthen the UN's accountability framework and to promote a more modern, efficient, and transparent UN, to responsibly steward resources to deliver better results. But despite the common ground on a number of important areas related to accountability, many Member States took regrettable and premature action to force a vote on, and sidetrack the Secretary-General's Change Management Initiative before it's even properly begun." 
12. Zoom out, General Assembly

STORYLINE:

The General Assembly (GA) today (9 April) approved a draft resolution entitled "Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat" but rejected an amendment proposed by the United States.

The GA's Fifth Committee, which deals with administrative and budgetary matters, failed to reach consensus and brought the two items for a vote.

Delegates argued over the Secretary-General's Change Management Initiative, with some expressing confidence in the Secretary-General's ability to use that tool to enhance the Organization's performance and management efficiency, while others faulted it as a unilateral step on his part that circumvented the General Assembly and reflected the views of just a few select Member States. Several lamented that the text had been put to a vote.

Before approving that text as a whole, the Committee voted down an amendment to it presented by the United States, which would have replaced language stressing the need for the Assembly's prior approval of any amendments to the overall departmental structure and the format of the programme budget with language that welcomed the Change Management Initiative and the efforts of those working on it.

Counsellor Abdelhakim Mihoubi of Algeria, categorically denied that today's resolution "in any way undermines efforts to achieve greater accountability nor will it delay or prevent United Nations reform."

Meanwhile Joseph M. Torsella, United States Representative for Management and Reform, regretted that the General Assembly had missed an opportunity "to strengthen the UN's accountability framework and to promote a more modern, efficient, and transparent UN, to responsibly steward resources to deliver better results."

He said that "despite the common ground on a number of important areas related to accountability, many Member States took regrettable and premature action to force a vote on, and sidetrack the Secretary-General's Change Management Initiative before it's even properly begun."

Among other things, the draft stresses the importance of promoting a culture of accountability, results-based management, enterprise risk management and internal controls through senior-level leadership in the Secretariat, and asks the Secretary-General to develop clearly defined, well-documented steps to that end, as well as to submit an annual progress report on their implementation.