Summary: EU Presidency Statement - Security Management System for UN (21 November 2005: New York)
EU Presidency Statement on Item 124: Strengthened & Unified Security Management System for the United Nations, by the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations on behalf of the European Union, Fifth Committee, United Nations, New York
Thank you Mr Chairman.
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey and Croatia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, as well as Ukraine align themselves with this declaration.
We are grateful to Under Secretary-General David Veness for presenting the report in A/60/424 on implementation of our decision last year to set up a strengthened and unified security management system for the UN. We also thank Mr Qazi Shaukat Fareed for introducing the report A/60/317 on Malicious Acts Insurance and security spending; Ms Patricia Azarias for the OIOS report in A/60/291 on security construction funds and for last year's audit of field security management (A/59/702); and Mr
Vladimir Belov, for introducing the Note by the Secretary-General on the OIOS report (A/60/291/Add.1). Our thanks also go to Mr Rajat Saha, the Acting Chair of the ACABQ for the Committee's report A/60/7/Add.9.
The establishment of a new structure to ensure that safety and security in the UN was managed in a coherent, consistent and effective manner was a priority for the European Union last year. Many of the locations where UN staff are most needed are unsafe. We maintain our position that the UN can only deliver its programmes in the field effectively and swiftly when risks to UN staff are managed adequately. And safe working conditions enhance the well-being and productivity of staff.
We therefore congratulate USG Veness and his team for their achievements to date to bring this new Department of Safety and Security into being. We recognise that it has been a major challenge to recruit and select such a large number of staff in this relatively short period. This is a particular achievement at a time when the new Department has had to respond quickly to a range of unforeseen events as well as to guarantee the security of our leaders during the World Summit, which was done in
an efficient and discreet manner. We are pleased to hear that all the professional staff at HQ and the majority of the field personnel will be in place by 1 January next year. We fully expected such a complex process would take time to implement and look forward to a full report at the 61st session.
We would also expect at that time to take up the issue of Malicious Acts Insurance and security spending by organisations of the UN system since it is clear from the report A/60/317 that more work is required prior to our consideration. The European Union concurs with the expectations of the ACABQ that a comprehensive report on the implementation of GA resolution 59/276 be submitted for consideration at the 61st session.
That said, we have some remarks on what has already been accomplished. We took particular note of, and welcome, the level of cooperation that has been established between the DSS and DPKO. Given the size and complexity of the missions managed by DPKO, it is reassuring that well-functioning arrangements are in place to ensure both a clear line of command and coordination in the field. The EU encourages the Secretariat to brief troop contributing countries on a regular basis and at the
forthcoming C-34 session about the general and mission-specific co-ordination mechanisms between the DSS and the DPKO.
We would welcome reassurance that a similar spirit of active cooperation exists with all agencies, Funds and Programmes with which DSS works in the field. We place particular importance on getting the field system right and note that appointment of field security personnel is almost completed and has been undertaken in consultation with other UN bodies. In this context, we would welcome further information on the status of the Accountability Framework that we requested last December. We cannot
stress too much how critical it is for such a framework to be concluded as soon as possible and urge all concerned to expedite agreement on this issue. We will pursue this further during informal consultations and would ask that representatives of the other UN bodies concerned should be present alongside DSS representatives.
We should also welcome an update on implementation of the OIOS recommendations contained in A/59/702. We acknowledge that this report and the responses of the DSS and DPKO were formulated a year ago and that therefore the state of implementation will, we hope, have moved on from partial to full.
We note with interest the remarks of the DSS with respect to the responsibilities of host countries. In this regard, we look forward to a swift assessment of the most urgent amendments required and that negotiating additional Memoranda of Understanding where necessary should not take too long to accomplish. We will seek further clarification during informal consultations.
With respect to the report by OIOS on security construction projects, we remain concerned at the slow rate of implementation and disbursement. We have noted in particular two situations of concern. First, the security strengthening projects in New York where there have been delays, cost escalations, and demands for compensation from the contractor even though we are told that the contractor appears to be responsible for the delays. Second, the likelihood that some $6.4 million of appropriated
funds will remain unexpended by UNOG at the end of this biennium, largely due to delays in strengthening project management capacity. We were particularly alarmed to see that these contracts contain no penalty clauses for non-compliance and would ask how this is possible for projects worth millions of dollars. We will pursue further with the appropriate Secretariat representatives during informal consultations. Moreover, we see the need for the Secretariat, while focusing on security
construction projects, to take the Capital Master Plan into consideration.
We understand that the report requested last December, and which we expected this session, on ICT business continuity and disaster recovery is not yet ready. This is potentially a costly proposal. We would urge that in preparing their proposals, the Secretariat should err on the side of more strategy and contingency planning with perhaps less emphasis on new posts. Systems administrators should already be in place. What is required is an update of strategy which should be already a key element
of existing functions of ICT personnel.
Finally, the European Union wants to assure USG Veness and his team, especially those in the field, that we will continue to support you as you complete the ambitious project that we set up last December.
* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
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