STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY THE DELEGATION OF NIGERIA ON THE ORGANIZATION OF WORK OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE DURING THE MAIN PART OF THE FIFTY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

New York, 19 September 2000

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 congratulate you and other members for election to the Bureau of the Fifth Committee. We wish you and the bureau members the best of success in fulfilling your respective functions. Further, I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to assure you of the cooperation of the Group of 77 and China in achieving our common objectives in the interest of the Member States and the Organization. The Group is confident that under your able leadership this Committee will be able to accomplish all the important tasks before it.

Mr. Chairman,

We appreciate the efforts of the Bureau and the secretariat in suggesting a programme of work. In this regard, the Group would like to observe that the proposed programme of work should reflect a balanced allocation of time with due priority to those items of work that are time bound.

The Group supports the revision, and adoption, of the programme of work on a weekly basis so that work on those items that the Fifth Committee has demanded to take decision on by the end of the regular session can be completed.

The Group would like to thank the Fifth Committee Secretariat for submission of the documentation for this meeting.

The late submission of documentation is of continuing concern to the Group. A large number of reports are yet to be issued. This chronic state of affairs affects the smooth functioning of the Committee’s work and should be addressed seriously under the relevant agenda item. It is of utmost importance that the Secretariat should comply with the six-week rule for submission of the documents so that all delegations have sufficient time to review the documents prior to their consideration and adoption in the general debates. In this context, we emphasize full implementation of the relevant provisions of the General Assembly resolution 54/248 and rules of procedure of the General Assembly. The Group reiterates the need to abide by extant rules and regulations governing distribution of draft resolutions and decisions in all the official languages prior to their adoption.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China would like to state that the informal consultations should be conducted in a transparent manner and should be announced well in advance to enable all delegations to participate. Moreover, there should not be any parallel informal consultations.

We are conscious of the fact that the agenda of the Fifth Committee is not only growing but also contains complex issues. All of us should strive to conclude our work in time without resorting to late night and weekend meetings. The Group attaches great importance to the efficient functioning of this Committee.

The Group of 77 and China is of the view that in case the Fifth Committee is unable to accomplish its work in this main part of the fifty-fifth session, the Bureau should plan to hold a longer first resumed session than the previous sessions. This would be inevitable to reduce the growing number of items on the Fifth Committee agenda and to achieve desirable results.

The Group of 77 and China is looking forward to make this session a success. We are ready to engage in constructive negotiations in the usual spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding with our negotiating partners. We hope that all of our negotiating partners will join us in the same spirit for the successful conclusion of this session.

Mr. Chairman,

In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China would like to assure you of its full cooperation and wish you a great success.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.