Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

The Group of 77 and China would like to express its appreciation to the Assistant-Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Mrs. Rafiah Salim, for introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the proposed United Nations Code of Conduct as contained in document A/52/488/Add.1. The Group of 77 and China has carefully considered this addendum 1 together with document A/52/488 and the relevant report of the International Civil Service Commission as contained in document A/52/30 (addendum).

The Group of 77 and China attaches great importance to the issues pertaining to human resources management in the United Nations including the proposed code of conduct. We believe that there is a need to improve the management and staff performance of the United Nations. In this regard, we appreciate the initiative of the Secretary-General in addressing some of the problems including those concerning the rights and duties of the staff member, responsibility of programme managers, and staff-management relations.

Having said that, we would therefore like to note that the time allocated during this current session might provide an opportunity for the Member States to have an in-depth discussion on various aspects of the proposal.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China welcomes the useful comments of the ICSC on the proposed UN code of conduct. In this regard, the Group looks forward to engaging in constructive discussions during the informal consultations.

In concluding and taking into account the statement by the Assistant-Secretary-General for Human Resources Management on 19 March 1998, the Group of 77 and China looks forward to early issuance of a "separate code of conduct for the Secretary-General and a code for officials and experts on mission".

Thank you.

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