STATEMENT BY THE DELEGATION OF NIGERIA, ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA, IN THE FIFTH COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE REVIEW OF RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE HIGH-LEVEL INTERGOVERNMENTAL EVENT FOR FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT AND THE THIRD UNITED NATIONS CONFEFENCE ON THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (AGENDA ITEM 121)

New York, 11 May 2000

Madam Chairman,

            The Group of 77 and China attaches the greatest importance to the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries and the High-Level Intergovernmental Event for Financing for Development and believes that the resources needed for both events should be provided in accordance with and on the basis of the current budgetary procedure.

High-Level Intergovernmental Event for Financing for Development

2.         The Group of 77 and China considers that the Secretary-General’s proposal to use the regular budget for the financing of the activities contained in paragraph 7 of draft resolution A/54/L.82 is fully in line with the letter and spirit of such resolution.

3.         The Group of 77 and China endorses the recommendation contained in the last sentence of paragraph 15 of the ACABQ report. However, the Group considers that the proposal contained in paragraph 7 of document A/C.5/54/59 is not consistent with the requirements of General Assembly resolutions 41/213 and 42/211.

Third UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries

4.         The Group of 77 and China concurs with the Secretary-General’s proposal contained in paragraph 4 of document A/C.5/54/58 to use the balance of 113,000 dollars available in the Trust Fund for the participation of LDCs in intergovernmental meetings, for the purposes approved in General Assembly resolution 54/235.

5.         The Group notes with great concern the proposal to use the savings on exchange rates achieved in UNCTAD to finance the amount of 469,000 dollars required to enable two representatives of each LDC to participate in the first session of the Preparatory Committee. Such proposal is a serious distortion of the budgetary process and it is mainly aimed at achieving the absorption by UNCTAD of that amount of resources. We disagree with such approach.

6.         The Group of 77 and China proposes that the requirements in the amount of 469,000 dollars identified in the Secretary-General’s report should be additional to the level of resources appropriated to section 11A and should be subject to the procedures of the contingency fund.

7.         Considering that extrabudgetary resources should have been made available for participation of LDC representatives to the PrepCom, the Group requests the Secretary-General to make additional efforts to mobilize extrabudgetary resources and to report on the outcome of his efforts to the next General Assembly as we take up this question. Also, at the same time, the Bureau of the PrepCom should  be kept regularly informed of the efforts being made in this regard.

8.         The Group notes that the wording of paragraph 14 of General Assembly resolution 54/235 deals with issues of the full competence of the Fifth Committee. In this regard, we would like to reiterate part VI of resolution 45/248 B whereby the General Assembly reaffirms, inter alia, that the Fifth Committee is the Main Committee of the General Assembly responsible for administrative and budgetary questions.

            I thank you.