EU Statement – UN General Assembly 5th Committee: Closing of First Resumed Session

Mr. Chair,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Member States of the European Union.

At the outset, allow me to thank you, Basiel, and Lina, and all the members of the Bureau. We would also like to express our utmost gratitude to the Fifth Committee Secretariat and to all the members of the Secretariat, from Headquarters and in the field, for their work, dedication and support. The wealth of this Organization lies in its people, its most valuable asset. The women and men who work at the United Nations are instrumental to deliver the Organization’s mandates, to uphold its principles, and to defend its values.

After 6 years of unsuccessful attempts, we are pleased that the Fifth Committee finally adopted by consensus a resolution on human resources management. The resolution contains the most significant overhaul of the system of desirable ranges since its inception. It addresses a wide array of policies, including the Charter injunction to attract, recruit, and retain talents on as wide a geographical base as possible. The Committee adopted an ambitious set of new guidelines regarding recruitment, training and reiterated the needed focus on gender parity; we agreed to reinforce the independence of the Ethics Office, consolidated the victims’-right approach; strengthened accountability and combatting any form of misconduct. This is nothing short of historic. Overall, the European Union and its Member States continue to attach great importance to supporting the Secretary-General in his ongoing efforts to modernize and reform the UN: we improved the UN human resources framework and policies in order to meet the current and future needs of the Organization.

Our committee also concluded a number of other agenda items, in stark contrast with the outcome of our first resumed session last year. We adopted resolutions on the Joint Inspection Unit, Accountability, Air travel, Umoja among others. While the Committee was unable to reach an agreement on a few topics – we regret that no agreement was met on supply chain activities or on ICT strategy – on the Peacebuilding fund, we made significant progress with the consolidation of a common crossregional base between the African Group and the likeminded countries. The European Union and its Member States have always believed that the key to the best possible outcomes lies in our ability to uphold transparency in our proceedings: active engagement, inclusive proceedings, and good faith debates make qualitative decisions. We would therefore like to acknowledge the efforts of our colleagues to engage actively and constructively this session. Our open proceedings undeniably contributed to the quality of the guidance we are able to adopt.

The Committee also demonstrated that even on highly political issues, with competing national interests, we were able to meet our responsibility towards the Organiation and agreed on guidance to the Secretariat. We also demonstrated that engagement and political will – more than time – allowed to conclude this complex session in just 4 weeks. The European Union and its Member States pledge to continue with the same spirit and dedication during our upcoming second resumed session dedicated to peacekeeping operations, and beyond

Thank you Mr. Chair