Summary: May 12, 2004: Statement by Ms. Margaret Stanley, Second Secretary, on behalf of the European Union on Strengthening the Security and Safety of United Nations Representatives and Staff Premises - Item 121 (New York)
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and the EFTA Country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.
Let me start by paying tribute to the women and men working throughout the UN system, under increasingly dangerous circumstances, in all duty stations and headquarters. The European Union fully recognises and salutes the courage and devotion of staff continuing their tasks in the full knowledge that they, and the Organisation, have become a target for terrorist attacks.
The events of 11 September 2001 and more specifically, the attack of 19 August 2003 on the UN headquarters in Baghdad have shattered the perception of the UN's neutrality and with it the relative safety of its personnel. The Organisation and we, the member states must cooperate closely to create a security architecture for the system that is both effective and sustainable. The EU is committed to ensuring the protection of all UN staff and stands ready to discuss measures to cope with new
threats in a comprehensive and effective manner. This includes effective security co-ordination between the UN and the host countries. The EU urges the Secretary General to take adequate steps in order to ensure that necessary security improvements can be implemented in all duty stations without further delay.
Mr. Chairman,
The Ahtisaari and Dixon reports speak to the importance of addressing security in a consistent and committed manner. We recognise the complexities of a coherent approach to security within the UN family. Threat levels and threat assessments differ from one duty station to the next. And different bodies of the UN system have different mandates so that any security structure must be flexible enough to enable them to carry out those mandates with proper attention to the safety of staff. It is
clear that the present, largely ad hoc, system no longer serves the best interests of the UN, an overall approach is necessary.
The EU is disappointed that there have been so many delays in addressing the entire issue of safety and security and that pertinent measures for which financing was already approved during the last biennium have not been fully implemented.
The EU would like to thank USG Ms Catherine Bertini for presenting the SG's report in A/58/756 which contains a number of proposals for immediate measures to enhance security at UN HQs, duty stations and in the field. We should also like to thank the Chairman of ACABQ for presenting the ACABQ report A/58/758. We appreciate the Advisory Committee's clear and technical analysis of the SG's proposals which was of considerable help in simplifying some of the more complex proposals.
The Secretary-General clearly acknowledges that his proposals are but a first phase of efforts to establish a unified system-wide security plan. While we recognise the need for a HQ managed security operation encompassing all parts of the UN family, we also recognise that a comprehensive overview is required to arrive at a well-informed and balanced decision. The current proposals, in our view, suffer in the absence of such a comprehensive overview. The EU therefore, has some difficulty in
assessing real priorities for enhancing security arrangements. A view which, to a certain extent, is shared by the ACABQ. We therefore look forward to the presentation of a second and final report in the Autumn following the completion of the ongoing change management study on security arrangements in June.
It is with this in mind that the EU addresses the current proposals.
Mr. Chairman,
The EU considers it important, firstly, to ensure adequate staffing levels within UNSECOORD at HQ and in the field to develop a more effective threat analysis capability; to ensure compliance with MOSS and to upgrade these where necessary; and secondly to develop a security culture change through an effective system of accountability and authority and a greater emphasis on training. The EU would also like to have additional information on the new parameters concerning upgrades in MOSS at UN
facilities in high-risk countries, the consequence of which has been to lower the rate of compliance.
The EU shares many of the ACABQ's preoccupations but considering the increased threat and the accompanying workload, it is clear that we need to look positively at the staffing level in UNSECCORD given the urgency of reinforcing the number of appropriately qualified security personnel in the field. We recognise the urgency and the need to proceed rapidly on this issue, but we will be seeking clarifications in the context of UNSECOORD's position within the security framework of the UN. We will
also want to explore what arrangements for training of security staff and others will be put into place.
We will seek also further clarification in the informal consultations on the justification for GTA, and the request for additional resources for on-going and new security construction projects and for equipment. As for the Secretary-General's proposal to change the existing system of cost-sharing, we believe that a fuller debate will be required than time allows at this session and this should preferably take place within the context of the change management report.
Mr. Chairman,
Let me conclude by saying that we must arrive at a common understanding of what decisions are essential at this session to ensure that immediate needs are met and what issues could be addressed at the 59th session when we will have the benefit of an overall strategy - without jeopardising the safety and security of all UN staff. The EU is ready to proceed on this basis.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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