Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 124, entitled Joint Inspection Unit.

2. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Chairperson of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), Mr. Even Fontaine Ortiz. The G77 would like to express its appreciation for his introduction of the Report of the Unit contained in document A/63/34 and Corrigendum 1, entitled "Report of the Joint Inspection Unit for 2008 and programme of work for 2009".

3. The Group has also taken note of the note of the Secretary-General on the Report of the JIU for 2008 introduced by Mr. Adnan Amin, Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, contained in document A/63/731.

Mr. Chairman,

4. The Group of 77 and China highly values the work of the Joint Inspection Unit, as the sole independent, external oversight body of the United Nations system. Over the years the Unit has presented valuable reports on UN agencies and the systemic issues that are relevant to the entire UN system. We appreciate the high priority accorded by the Unit on management and efficiency issues, as well as the Unit's useful long-term strategic perspectives on the UN system. We also believe that this Committee can and should continue to benefit from the quality input provided by the Unit.

5. As it is noted in the report, in 2008 the Unit issued six reports, four notes, one management letter and one confidential letter. Of these, nine were of a system-wide nature or concerned several organizations, while the other three concerned the review of administration and management of two participating organizations.

6. The G77 agrees with the notion that the 119 concrete, action-oriented recommendations contained in the above mentioned documents, if accepted/approved and implemented, should result in tangible management improvements through enhanced effectiveness and efficiency gains.

7. That is why the Group of 77 & China appreciates the steps taken by the Unit to strengthen its follow-up system to its recommendations, by monitoring the status of their acceptance and implementation and identification of action required by the participating organizations as stated in the report. We would urge all participating organizations to provide the information on the status of the implementation of the recommendations as requested by the JIU.

Mr. Chairman,

8. We are pleased again to note the Unit's commitment to bring about necessary internal reforms in response to the relevant General Assembly resolutions. The Group of 77 & China in particular appreciates the Unit's effort to conduct a self-evaluation of its functioning.

9. In this regard, we welcome the Unit's decision to move towards a results-based management approach to carry out its activities; the measures taken to improve its collaboration with the secretariats of its participating organizations and with other oversight and coordinating bodies, in particular the CEB machinery; and the adoption of principles and procedures to conduct investigations.

10. These actions show the Joint Inspection Unit's determination to make of itself a more reliable tool for bringing cost-effectiveness and coherence to the United Nations system. In addition, the Group has a positive view of the description of the resources needed by the Unit to carry out its functions in the coming biennium.

Mr. Chairman,

11. The Group is concerned about the circumstances surrounding the appointment of the Executive Secretary of the JIU, a post vacant for the last 14 months after its advertisement in December 2007 and fundamental for the work of the inspectors of the Unit.

12. It is our view, that the problem should have been resolved in a timely manner in accordance with the relevant provisions of the statute of the Unit, the administrative instructions regarding the staff selection system; the guidance provided by the relevant General Assembly resolutions and a basic sense of constructive cooperation of all parties involved, building on the practice in place for the more than 40 years of existence of JIU.

13. In this regard, there is no choice for the Group but to seek clarifications on the matter during the informal consultations and urge all parties to find an expedited solution so that the work and independence of the JIU is not negatively affected by the disruption.

14. Finally, Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China wishes to commend the Joint Inspection Unit for the Programme of Work; looks forward to endorsing the JIU's strategic framework for 2010-2019 and reiterates its support to the continued relevance of the Unit and its mandate and important role as an oversight body in the UN system.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.