Genre: Legal

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [ on the report of the Fifth Committee ( A / 62 / 600 / Add . 1 ) ] Support account for peacekeeping operations The General Assembly , Recalling its resolutions 45 / 258 of 3 May 1991 , 47 / 218 A of 23 December 1992 , 48 / 226 A of 23 December 1993 , 55 / 238 of 23 December 2000 , 56 / 241 of 24 December 2001 , 56 / 293 of 27 June 2002 , 57 / 318 of 18 June 2003 , 58 / 298 of 18 June 2004 , 59 / 301 of 22 June 2005 , 60 / 268 of 30 June 2006 , 61 / 245 and 61 / 246 of 22 December 2006 , 61 / 256 of 15 March 2007 and 61 / 279 of 29 June 2007 , its decisions 48 / 489 of 8 July 1994 , 49 / 469 of 23 December 1994 and 50 / 473 of 23 December 1995 and its other relevant resolutions , Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General on the financing of the support account for peacekeeping operations and on the comprehensive analysis of the Office of Military Affairs of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations , the preliminary report of the Secretary-General on the status of implementation of General Assembly resolution 61 / 279 on strengthening the capacity of the United Nations to manage and sustain peacekeeping operations , the report of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee on the proposed budget for the Office of Internal Oversight Services under the support account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions , Recognizing the importance of the ability of the United Nations to respond and deploy rapidly to a peacekeeping operation upon adoption of a relevant resolution of the Security Council , within thirty days for traditional peacekeeping operations and ninety days for complex peacekeeping operations , Recognizing also the need for adequate support during all phases of peacekeeping operations , including the liquidation and termination phases , Mindful that the level of the support account should broadly correspond to the mandate , number , size and complexity of peacekeeping missions , Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the financing of the support account for peacekeeping operations1 and on the comprehensive analysis of the Office of Military Affairs of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations , 2 the preliminary report of the Secretary-General on the status of implementation of General Assembly resolution 61 / 279 on strengthening the capacity of the United Nations to manage and sustain peacekeeping operations3 and the report of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee on the proposed budget for the Office of Internal Oversight Services under the support account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 ; 4 Reaffirms its role with regard to the structure of the Secretariat , and stresses that proposals that amend the overall departmental structure , as well as the format of the budgets of the Organization and the biennial programme plan , are subject to review and approval by the General Assembly ; Also reaffirms its role in carrying out a thorough analysis and approval of human and financial resources and policies with a view to ensuring the full , effective and efficient implementation of all mandated programmes and activities and the implementation of policies in this regard ; Further reaffirms that the Fifth Committee is the appropriate Main Committee of the General Assembly entrusted with responsibility for administrative and budgetary matters ; Reaffirms rule 153 of its rules of procedure ; Emphasizes that ongoing management reforms must be fully taken into account when presenting additional proposals for reform ; Reaffirms that the support account funds shall be used for the sole purpose of financing human resources and non-human resource requirements for backstopping and supporting peacekeeping operations at Headquarters , and that any changes in this limitation require the prior approval of the General Assembly ; Also reaffirms the need for adequate funding for the backstopping of peacekeeping operations , as well as the need for justification for that funding in support account budget submissions ; Recalls the role of the Secretary-General as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization , in accordance with the provisions of Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations ; Reiterates that the delegation of authority on the part of the Secretary-General should be in order to facilitate the better management of the Organization , but stresses that the overall responsibility for management of the Organization rests with the Secretary-General as the Chief Administrative Officer ; Affirms the need for the Secretary-General to ensure that the delegation of authority to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations , the Department of Field Support and field missions is in strict compliance with relevant resolutions and decisions , as well as relevant rules and procedures of the General Assembly on this matter ; Stresses that heads of departments report to and are accountable to the Secretary-General ; Notes the unique nature of the reporting line from the head of the Department of Field Support to the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations , and decides that having one head of department ( Department of Field Support ) report to and take direction from another head of department ( Department of Peacekeeping Operations ) shall not set a precedent in the Secretariat ; Requests the Secretary-General to address systemic issues that hamper good management of the Organization , including by improving work processes and procedures , and in that context stresses that structural change is no substitute for managerial improvement ; Reiterates the importance of strengthened accountability in the Organization and of ensuring greater accountability of the Secretary-General to Member States , inter alia , for the effective and efficient implementation of legislative mandates and the use of human and financial resources ; Recalls its request to the Secretary-General to specifically define accountability , as well as clear accountability mechanisms , including to the General Assembly , and to propose clear parameters for its application and the instruments for its rigorous enforcement , without exception , at all levels , to ensure effective and efficient operations and management of resources in the Organization ; Emphasizes the importance of preserving the unity of command in missions at all levels , as well as a coherence in policy and strategy and clear command structures in the field and up to and including Headquarters ; Requests the Secretary-General to ensure a clear chain of command , accountability , coordination and maintenance of an adequate system of checks and balances ; Emphasizes the importance of interaction and coordination with troop-contributing countries ; Also emphasizes the need to ensure the safety and security of United Nations personnel ; Urges the Secretary-General , within the framework established in its resolutions 52 / 12 B of 19 December 1997 and 52 / 220 of 22 December 1997 , to define explicitly the role and duties of the Deputy Secretary-General in the reform set out in its resolution 61 / 279 , including in relation to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations , the Department of Field Support , the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Management ; Recalls section I , paragraph 6 , of its resolution 55 / 238 , paragraph 11 of its resolution 56 / 241 and paragraph 19 of its resolution 61 / 279 , and requests the Secretary-General to ensure the proper representation of troop-contributing countries in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support , taking into account their contribution to United Nations peacekeeping ; Reiterates that the Secretary-General , in employing staff , shall ensure the highest standards of efficiency , competence and integrity as the paramount consideration , with due regard for the principle of equitable geographical distribution , in accordance with Article 101 , paragraph 3 , of the Charter and relevant resolutions of the General Assembly ; Reaffirms paragraph 67 of its resolution 61 / 279 , and requests the Secretary-General to include detailed information on mechanisms in place and measures taken to address the management challenges which the new organizational structure of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations / Department of Field Support poses , and the improvement that the new structure has brought in ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in the support for peacekeeping operations and special political missions , as well as to coordination with the Department of Political Affairs , in the context of the comprehensive report to be submitted at the second part of its resumed sixty-third session ; Notes with concern the late submission of the budgets of some peacekeeping operations , which puts considerable strain on the work of the General Assembly and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions , and , while recognizing the challenges faced in preparing the budget proposals and related reports on peacekeeping and special factors affecting some missions , requests the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to improve the quality and timely issuance of peacekeeping documents ; Reiterates its request in paragraph 13 of its resolution 60 / 268 and paragraph 32 of its resolution 61 / 279 , and urges the Secretary-General to submit the comprehensive report on the evolution of the support account at the second part of its resumed sixty-third session within the context of his next budget proposal for the support account ; Notes that the application of an accurate vacancy rate is good budgetary practice and essential for the appropriate assessment on Member States ; Requests the Secretary-General , when submitting his budget proposals , to include details of the full annual cost of posts for the subsequent budget ; Takes note of paragraph 48 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions ; 5 Stresses the importance of complementarity of efforts and avoiding duplication between integrated operational teams and substantive components of the Secretariat , and requests the Secretary-General to report thereon , and to provide a clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of the integrated operational teams , in the comprehensive report to be submitted to the General Assembly at the second part of its resumed sixty-third session ; Affirms the importance of ensuring that the information and communications technology operations and requirements relating to peacekeeping are fully addressed and properly managed , taking into account the principle of unity of command ; Reaffirms the need for effective and efficient administration and financial management of peacekeeping operations , and urges the Secretary-General to continue to identify measures to increase the productivity and efficiency of the support account ; Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the full implementation of the relevant provisions of General Assembly resolutions 59 / 296 of 22 June 2005 , 60 / 266 of 30 June 2006 and 61 / 276 of 29 June 2007 and other relevant resolutions ; Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions , 5 subject to the provisions of the present resolution ; Takes note of paragraphs 81 to 87 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions , 5 and decides to establish the following posts in the current structure of the Office of Military Affairs : ( a ) One D-1 , two P-5 , ten P-4 and four P-3 posts in the Office of the Military Adviser and one P-4 post for a civilian officer ; ( b ) Three P-4 posts and two P-3 posts in the Force Generation Service ; ( c ) Twelve P-4 posts in the Military Planning Service ; ( d ) Four P-4 posts in the Current Military Operations Service ; ( e ) One P-4 and three P-3 posts to be assigned to the Logistics Support Division of the Department of Field Support ; ( f ) One P-4 and one P-3 to be assigned to the Information and Communications Technology Division of the Department of Field Support ; Requests the Secretary-General to submit for its consideration at its sixty-fourth session a comprehensive report on the implementation of the strengthening of the Office of Military Affairs and its impact on the organization and capacities of the Office ; Requests the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations to consider the report referred to in paragraph 36 above at its 2010 substantive session ; Decides to approve the following posts : ( a ) One P-5 post for a Security Focal Point in the Situation Centre , Department of Peacekeeping Operations ; ( b ) Two P-4 posts for a Policy Adviser and a Policy Development Officer in the Police Division , Department of Peacekeeping Operations ; ( c ) One P-3 post for a Programme Officer in the Risk Management Unit of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support ; ( d ) One P-3 post for a Finance and Budget Officer in the Budget and Performance Reporting Service of the Field Budget and Finance Division , Department of Field Support ; ( e ) One D-2 post for the Director of the Information and Communications Technology Division , Department of Field Support ; ( f ) One General Service ( Other level ) post for a Human Resources Assistant ( Roster Development ) in the Office of Human Resources Management ; Decides not to approve the following posts : ( a ) One D-1 post for a Principal Officer and one General Service ( Other level ) post for an Administrative Assistant in the Asia and Middle East Division , Department of Peacekeeping Operations ; ( b ) One P-3 post in the Engineering Section of the Logistics Support Division , Department of Field Support ; ( c ) One P-4 post in the Property Management Section of the Logistics Support Division , Department of Field Support ; ( d ) One P-4 post for a Technical Information Operations Support Officer , Department of Field Support ; ( e ) One P-4 post for a Management Analyst Officer in the Management Support Service of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management ; ( f ) One General Service ( Other level ) Finance Assistant ( Health and Life Insurance Section ) in the Accounts Division , Department of Management ; ( g ) One P-4 and one P-3 post for Procurement Officers in the Procurement Division , Department of Management ; ( h ) One P-4 Legal Officer in the Office of the Legal Counsel , Office of Legal Affairs ; Decides to convert one P-5 and one General Service general temporary assistance position in the Conduct and Discipline Unit to posts ; Also decides to approve the following positions as general temporary assistance : ( a ) One P-4 Human Resources Officer ( Outreach and Strategic Staffing Section ) in the Office of Human Resources Management , Department of Management ; ( b ) One P-3 Finance Officer in the Treasury Division , Department of Management ; Takes note of paragraph 130 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions , 5 and decides to continue the four P-3 positions in the Peacekeeping Financing Division , Department of Management ; Decides to reduce the non-post resources by 1,899,100 United States dollars , and requests the Secretary-General to consider applying the reduction , inter alia , to the consultancy requirements referred to in paragraphs 297 and 354 of the report of the Secretary-General on the budget for the support account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 ; Also decides to maintain , for the financial period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 , the funding mechanism for the support account used in the current period , from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 , as approved in paragraph 3 of its resolution 50 / 221 B of 7 June 1996 ; Financial performance report for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the financial performance of the support account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 ; Decides not to transfer the amount of 2,014,000 dollars included in the amount of 7,097,000 dollars , previously authorized in its resolution 61 / 279 , representing the excess of the authorized level of the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund utilized to finance the requirements of the support account in respect of the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 ; Decides to apply the total amount of 13,790,000 dollars , comprising the unencumbered balance of 5,491,600 dollars and other income of 1,759,000 dollars in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2007 , the support account fund balance in respect of financial periods ended 30 June 1997 , 30 June 1998 , 30 June 1999 and 30 June 2000 in the total amount of 2,138,000 dollars , and the excess of the authorized level of the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2007 in the amount of 4,401,400 dollars , to the support account requirements for the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007 ; Also decides to apply the excess of the authorized level of the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2007 in the amount of 2,014,000 dollars to the support account requirements for the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 ; Budget estimates for the financial period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 Approves the support account requirements in the amount of 273,922,800 dollars for the financial period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 , including 1,122 continuing and 98 new temporary posts and their related post and non-post requirements ; Financing of the budget estimates Decides that the requirements for the support account for peacekeeping operations for the financial period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 shall be financed as follows : ( a ) The amount of 469,600 dollars , representing the balance remaining of the excess of the authorized level of the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2007 , to be applied to the resources required for the financial period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 ; ( b ) The balance of 273,453,200 dollars to be prorated among the budgets of the active peacekeeping operations for the financial period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 ; ( c ) The estimated staff assessment income of 26,274,600 dollars , comprising the amount of 26,221,200 dollars for the financial period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 and the increase of 53,400 dollars in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2007 , to be offset against the balance referred to in subparagraph ( b ) above , to be prorated among the budgets of the individual active peacekeeping operations . 109th plenary meeting 20 June 2008