Fifth Committee receives budget proposals down from 2018 for missions to Iraq and Afghanistan

by **claud39** Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:02 pm

https://www.un.org/press/fr/2018/agab4306.doc.htm

[size=36]Fifth Committee receives budget proposals down from 2018 for missions to Iraq and Afghanistan[/size]

NOVEMBER 29, 2018

The Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs considered this morning the Secretary - General 's budget proposals for the United Nations Assistance Missions for Iraq and Afghanistan in 2019 *. The representative of Iraq categorically opposed lowering the budget.
For 2019, the Secretary-General estimates that the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) is forecasting $ 105.7 million in expenditures, a net decrease of $ 2.8 million from 2018. This decrease is explained by a decrease in expenditures of $ 2.6 million for military and police personnel and $ 1.5 million for civilian staff, partly offset by an increase of $ 1.4 million for operational expenditure.
The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) does not seem to be satisfied. He first recalled, with regard to support, that UNAMI should provide the United Nations Team of Investigators to assist in bringing Daesh to account for its crimes, that the administrative support provided by a United Nations to another must give rise to a refund. ACABQ then endorsed the establishment of a P-3 Professional and Ethics Officer position, but questioned the merits of funding it under UNAMI since the incumbent would provide assistance to Kuwait-based Integrated Ethics and Discipline Group, which supports four missions,
In the absence of detailed information on the workload and a clear definition of the functions of the four human rights specialist positions that would be recruited at the national level, ACABQ recommends only two. As for consultants estimated at $ 379,000, an increase of $ 50,500 over 2018, the Committee notes that 41.8 per cent of the total will be devoted to consultants specializing in the field of relations with electoral actors. . As UNAMI has already provided quality support to the Independent High Electoral Commission for the elections of 12 May 2018, the ACABQ emphasizes that the General Assembly has duly stipulated that the use of consultants should be kept to a minimum and that the Organization should should use as much as possible their own internal skills.
As for travel, ACABQ said it found "a number of inconsistencies" in the reasons given for justifying a budget of $ 1.5 million, an increase of $ 265,600 over 2018. It recommends a reduction of 77 per cent. 000 dollars.
One hundred and eight million dollars in 2018, 105 million in 2019, or even less after the skimming of the ACABQ: Iraq opposes. We will not support the reduction of the financial and human resources of the Mission, warned Iraq. In order for the Mission to fulfill its mandate effectively, it must be provided with the necessary resources, he insisted, regretting, moreover, the lack of progress in the nationalization of posts. Unchanged, the planned spending would hinder the Mission's ability to execute its mandate successfully, warned Iraq.
The Fifth Committee also had before it the estimates of $ 141.5 million for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in 2019, a decrease of $ 7.2 million. 4.8%, compared to 2018.
However, in view of the information, the ACABQ notes that actual expenditure under the heading "facilities and infrastructure" incurred over the last five years has always been well below the approved budget. Given the under-utilization of resources during the period 2014 to 2017, the Advisory Committee recommends a reduction of 5%, or $ 1.3 million, in the amount requested and considers it important to make to improve the "accuracy" of future budget proposals.
With regard to the "communications and informatics" item, the amount requested of which amounts to $ 7.1 million, ie $ 1.3 million more than in 2018, the ACABQ wonders. As in 2019, the purchase of new equipment is estimated at $ 1,403,000, and is concerned that the Mission does not appear to have fully implemented the equipment replacement strategy in a timely manner. He recommended that detailed information be presented to the General Assembly.
The next meeting of the Fifth Committee will be announced in the United Nations Journal .
* A / 73/498 / Add.5 and A / 73/498 / Add.4

For the media • Unofficial document.