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I have the honour to speak on behalf of the delegations of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. CANZ welcomes this thematic debate on management reform. We strongly agree that it is time for us as Member States to take stock of progress to date, and to renew our political commitment to making our Organisation more modern, more effective and more accountable.
In the thirty months since we all agreed to the Outcome document at the 2005 Summit, we have made progress in some areas of management reform. But we have often acknowledged amongst ourselves that one of the constraints on progress was a weak sense of overall ownership of the reforms we had signed up to. Now we have an opportunity to correct that - to discuss here in this thematic debate what we can do together to bring practical improvements to the management of our Organisation. There is no purpose in reform or change for its own sake. Whatever we do must make delivery more effective across the UN’s three essential pillars of peace and security, development and human rights.
Mr President
We would like today’s debate to reassure the Secretary-General that Member States place priority on management reform, and that we look to him to provide leadership and to continue the drive for a gradual change of culture and management practices. But real improvements can only be achieved if for our part as Member States we are prepared to be specific about what an efficient, transparent and accountable United Nations would look like, in management terms.
For us, it would be an organisation that could show clearly and in accessible language what results it is seeking to achieve in each of its areas of focus, and then properly evaluate its success in achieving those results. This concerns the mandate cycle.
It would be an organisation which could present its budget in a succinct format, with a greater focus on results and outcomes that non-specialists and those scrutinising it back in capitals could readily understand.
It would be an organisation able to attract and retain the best people, including for its work in the field, across geographical and gender diversity. One that would be capable of quick and efficient recruiting; that would offer clarity over contractual status and career mobility; appropriate professional training and development; and transparent appointment and promotion procedures at all levels.
It would be an organisation with a culture of performance, where all staff take responsibility and are held accountable for their actions, and where the highest standards of ethics are demonstrated throughout. It would be an organisation well supported by modern IT and procurement systems, best practice in audit and accountability, and sound administration of justice safeguards.
In many of these areas we have moved forward since 2005, but to renew our sense of urgency and purpose, we now need a new and clear statement of what we should do over the next year. This could be as simple as a commitment from this debate, to ourselves and to the Secretary-General, to work with renewed energy in three or four areas of focus. These could be captured in the President’s summary.
Mr President
CANZ sees as one such priority to agree to consult further amongst ourselves to find ways to improve mandate formation, while at the same time we continue our review of mandates. It has become increasingly clear to CANZ through our involvement in mandates review that there is a compelling need for a change in mandate setting culture. The way we currently do things creates problems of overlapping mandates; multiple requests for similar reports; unclear centres of responsibility, and vagueness about the results we are asking the UN system to produce. As the 4NI report notes, more ambiguity creates less accountability and the so called “constructive ambiguity”, which is often the exit ramp from disagreement over text, is unhelpful to the secretariat when it comes to implementation.
We would like to suggest for Member States’ consideration better procedures and disciplines on mandate setting. This could involve a simple checklist or standard approach: to demonstrate what are the expected results and time frame; to place the initiative in the context of existing similar mandates; to estimate resource implications; and to try to set criteria for when the mandate would be completed. More discussion would of course be needed on how to set new standards and quality control into our mandate setting practice. CANZ would see this as complementary to ongoing mandate review work. We must look forward while we attempt to tidy and rationalise what we have already requested.
Mr President
We also see clear links between mandates, the planning and budgetary process, and human resources. Mandates cannot be implemented independent of the consideration of financial resources. Their implementation also depends on the effective utilisation of the organisation’s human resources. Poor budgetary and human resource processes can only impact negatively on the implementation of mandates.
The planning and budgetary process, including key elements of the budget cycle, need to be strengthened. Member states must determine how emerging needs and initiatives fit into this process to ensure the prudent management of resources. Results-based budgeting should not be just a paper exercise but an effective tool for Member States and the Secretariat in assessing the resourcing needs of the UN. The Organisation also needs to integrate results-based budgeting into results-based management to effectively manage the limited resources available. We would support further work in this area.
In that regard, CANZ delegations share the concerns expressed by many member states about a piecemeal approach to budgeting. We would not, however, see in this category the important management reform proposals that have been requested by the General Assembly and are necessarily considered outside of the regular budget cycle.
Mr President
The most important of these proposals is the long overdue reform of human resources management. The UN’s current system fails its employees working in the most challenging conditions, resulting in both the inequitable treatment of staff and an inability to deliver on essential mandates. The Secretariat’s hands are tied by an inconsistent and non transparent system. The General Assembly has failed to correct this situation, due largely to short-term considerations that do not take into account the benefits to the Organisation. We urge the Secretary-General to maintain his commitment in this area, and we urge Member States to take early decisions on the Secretary-General’s outstanding reform proposals. We also take this opportunity to congratulate Ms Catherine Pollard on her appointment as Assistant Secretary General for the Office of Human Resources Management.
Mr President
CANZ delegations have long been, and continue to be, strong supporters of management reform. We thank you for organising this thematic debate. We also thank the Four Nations Initiative for its constructive and practical work. We hope that this thematic debate can provide the necessary momentum to help us come to substantive decisions on the many outstanding reform issues.
Thank you Mr President
