General Assembly Session 53 meeting 105

The President

The Assembly will now proceed to take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 7 of its report (A/53/1025).

The Fifth Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote.

May I consider that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The President

I now call on those representatives wishing to speak in explanation of position on the resolution just adopted.

Ms. Rasi (Finland)

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union -- Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- and the associated countries Cyprus and Malta, as well as the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries members of the European Economic Area (EEA) -- Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway -- align themselves with this statement.

The European Union welcomes the decision to grant the Secretary-General an initial $200 million in commitment authority to meet the preliminary operating costs of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). We now expect that the Secretariat will press ahead and make the best use of this authority.

At the same time, the European Union deeply regrets that the General Assembly was unable to make a decision on fully assessing the $200 million, as requested by the Secretary-General. We have serious concerns about how this might affect the ability of the Mission to properly carry out its mandate. We are also concerned about the possible adverse effects of our decision on the start-up and initial running of new and expanded peacekeeping missions, as it might lead to a shortage of funds available in the peacekeeping reserve fund in the near future. Furthermore, the decision will most probably lead to a further and very unfortunate suspension of reimbursements to troop-contributing countries.

In the Fifth Committee, the European Union advocated the only sound and fair solution: the full assessment of the amount requested by the Secretary-General. We noted time and again that, in the light of the mandate of the Mission, its size and sui generis nature, and because of time pressure, the Secretariat really had no choice but to present its best estimate for the resources needed. A full set of details was simply not yet available. Given the complexity and undoubted importance of UNMIK, the European Union's priority was to ensure that the Mission be provided with sufficient cash resources from the very outset.

The European Union accepted the lower figure of $125 million for assessment merely to preserve consensus on the financing of this very important mission. That figure is not based on substance, or on a thorough consideration of the needs of UNMIK. It is a political figure, pure and simple. Should UNMIK now have difficulties in fulfilling its mandate pending the adoption of its budget and the next assessment, the General Assembly would bear the responsibility. In this context, the European Union calls upon Member States to pay their assessed contributions to the UNMIK budget in full and without delay.

The European Union looks forward to the presentation of a full budget for UNMIK as early as possible. We realize that the final needs of the mission, which will be fully explained and substantiated, will rise substantially above the initial commitment authority and assessment figures approved today.

Mrs. Aragon (Philippines)

In joining consensus on the adoption of this resolution, the Philippine delegation reaffirms its support for the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) and expresses its solidarity with the people of Kosovo in their efforts to rebuild a society devastated by the events in the recent past.

We note that the amount of $200 million will only provide for the initial requirements of what will be a large and complex operation. We regret that detailed information and justification for the resources requested were not provided in the Secretary-General's report. While we appreciate the constraints on the Secretariat, this lack of information made it difficult for the Fifth Committee to assess the full amount. We look forward to the comprehensive report requested in paragraph 12, which will include the full budget estimates and other related information on the initial expenses of UNMIK.

We attach particular importance to paragraphs 3 and 4 of the resolution, by which the General Assembly emphasizes that all future and existing peacekeeping missions shall be given equal and non-discriminatory treatment in respect of financial and administrative arrangements and shall be provided with adequate resources for the effective and efficient discharge of their respective mandates. We therefore hope that the spirit of generosity that prevailed in the negotiation of this text will also prevail when the financing of other peacekeeping missions is considered, as well as that of other United Nations programmes, in particular those relating to the development needs of developing countries.

Mr. Burleigh (United States)

The United States attaches great importance to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). We believe that this funding resolution provides the critical monetary support for Security Council resolution 1244 (1999), which lays out a concrete plan for ending the humanitarian tragedy in Kosovo.

In the light of this view, we were prepared to endorse the Secretary-General's full request for $200 million, both in commitment authority and for assessment to Member States. Regrettably, however, the initial funding amounts requested by the Secretary-General were rejected. In the spirit of compromise and consensus-building, we accepted the current resolution which, while authorizing the commitment authority requested by the Secretary-General, provides a lesser amount for assessment purposes. We support this resolution in the hope that it will provide sufficient funding to enable United Nations start-up operations in Kosovo.

Please allow me to note that, based on our confidence in the Secretary-General and his staff, we have accepted the Secretary-General's request without the usual detailed justification. Should the funding which this resolution provides prove insufficient for the start-up operations, we trust that the Fifth Committee will respond quickly to this challenge and expeditiously provide the necessary additional funds.

We understand that the Secretariat will prepare a full budget with justification for presentation to the General Assembly by the end of September or early October. We expect that the Fifth Committee will take action on an urgent basis once this budget is received, so that the continued development of this complex and unique mission is not jeopardized by inaction or delays on the part of any organ of the General Assembly. We look forward to reviewing the detailed United Nations budget for this important peacekeeping mission, as well as the comprehensive report on its financing which is also called for in this resolution.

In conclusion, my delegation wishes to commend the tireless efforts of the Fifth Committee Chairman in bringing this resolution to a satisfactory conclusion, as well as to thank him for his able guidance throughout the year on the complex, technical and sometimes tedious work of the Fifth Committee.

Ms. Méndez (Venezuela)

Although Venezuela joined consensus on the resolution just adopted by the General Assembly, we wish to note our concern about the lack of precise information on the use and final purpose of these resources. We hope that this will be quickly rectified with a view to meeting the legitimate concerns of Member States on a matter of such great importance.

Mr. Estévez-López (Guatemala)

The resolution that we have just adopted on agenda item 170 does not fall within the Organization's routine. In the first place, its purpose is to finance an operation that was in turn the result of an event whose origin raised many questions, some of them unprecedented in the field of international relations.

Secondly, the purpose of the expenditure, namely the establishment of a provisional administration intended virtually to take over the civil administration of a territory or entity, raises other kinds of questions relating to the content, scope and viability of what the Organization undertakes in its peacekeeping activities.

Thirdly, the magnitude of the effort, and the risk that it might draw human and financial resources away from other United Nations activities, also make it unusual.

Fourthly, the size and characteristics of this new activity, conceived as a contribution to the maintenance of peace, raise renewed uncertainties about the timely provision of the financial means required for such operations. These uncertainties arise from a problem that is still very much with us, namely the delay in the payment of contributions agreed upon by Member States.

Finally, from the perspective of elementary principles of equity, the matter is closely bound up with the imperative that other areas of conflict, primarily in Africa, should receive a similar level of attention from Member States when a United Nations presence is required.

This is not the place to address these crucial issues, but neither can we ignore them. They form the backdrop to the resolution we have just adopted, and explain why, along with many other delegations, my delegation harbours some substantive doubts about the operation that is being financed.

What finally led us to support the draft resolution, despite our doubts, was our strong commitment to the principle that the United Nations, whenever it can alleviate human suffering and restore normalcy in the aftermath of conflict situations, should do so. We ourselves -- though in a completely different context than that surrounding the matter under consideration -- are benefiting from the presence of the United Nations in the form of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala, which has played a fundamental role in the consolidation of our peace process. It is for that reason that we will act with resolve and a sense of responsibility whenever the United Nations has the opportunity to make a contribution to the cause of peace in other regions of the world.

We cannot conclude this brief statement without noting that the huge expense we are about to incur might possibly have been avoided. We do not say this to assign blame for the outbreak of the conflict that has led to the present situation, but to state what is obvious: any investment we decide collectively to make in order to avert conflicts or safeguard peace after a conflict has broken out is a financially wise decision. It is in this spirit that we would once again stress our support for this draft resolution.

Mr. Gallardo (Bolivia)

My delegation wishes to express its support for the draft resolution adopted by the Fifth Committee and now by the General Assembly concerning the financing of the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo.

We consider this mission to be of great importance and will not impede it in any way. However, as was made clear during informal discussions on this item, we believe that, with respect to the financing of peacekeeping operations, the United Nations system must differentiate between conflicts in which the parties have complied with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and gone through the Security Council, and those in which the parties have not respected the Charter or the Council, turning to it only when there is a need to bring about peace and security, which is a universal obligation. These financial responsibilities should be analysed.

My delegation notes also that the recent proliferation of peacekeeping operations is having an impact on small and poor States, which can incur budget imbalances that affect their economies. At the international level, the cost of those operations is reducing financing for development, international cooperation for development and even donations. The donor countries are warning that they will not be able to fulfil their obligations because of the high cost of peacekeeping operations, whose number continues to increase.

Lastly, my delegation wishes to state that this concern, stated in the Fifth Committee, will be expressed in the First Committee, the Security Council and wherever relevant, because otherwise Member States that comply with the Charter and respect the Security Council will be penalized unfairly.

The President

We have heard the last speaker in explanation of vote after the voting.

We have thus concluded this stage of our consideration of agenda item 170.