Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | M | M2 Presswire

Budget Committee considers proposals to enhance security of UN staff, operations, premises; Financial situation also discussed, with speakers calling for timely, full, unconditional payment of budget assessments; Page 1 of 4.

Article Excerpt
M2 PRESSWIRE-13 May 2004-UN: Budget Committee considers proposals to enhance security of UN staff, operations, premises; Financial situation also discussed, with speakers calling for timely, full, unconditional payment of budget assessments; Page 1 of 4.(C)1994-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:05122004

Describing a radically altered security environment in which the United Nations had become a target of choice, speakers in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) called for a comprehensive review of United Nations security procedures, as the Committee considered the issue of the safety and security of United Nations operations, staff and premises this morning.

Introducing the Secretary-General's report on the first phase of security reforms at the United Nations, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, Catherine Bertini, said the current situation was not business as usual or routine, but critical for the safety of all who worked under the United Nations flag. The first phase of the security proposals included urgent construction upgrades and an immediate increase in the presence of the Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD)at high-risk duty stations.

None of the requirements for 2004 would prejudice the new security management structure proposed in phase two to be presented to the Assembly in the fall, she said. The Secretary-General's proposal was no ordinary budget request and, in that regard, should not be treated in the traditional manner of "seeking out every possible expenditure for reduction". The Secretariat had not presented a budget with fat in it, but one that met basic but hugely increased security needs.

The Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), Vladimir Kusnetzov, introducing that body's related report, noted that within the last few years there had been a rather "piecemeal" approach where emergency resources were requested for short-term measures.

The result was a series of "band aid" solutions in which the use of resources was seen as a substitute for a true security plan. A comprehensive strategy of enhancing the safety of United Nations premises, operations and staff was long overdue. Throwing money at an ad hoc piecemeal approach that responded to events rather than anticipated them was actually a disservice, and the expenditure of large sums of money without an effective and coordinated plan of action among all players could result in false security and disastrous consequences.

In the debate that followed, speakers agreed that the attack on the United Nations headquarters in August 2003 in Iraq had shattered the perception of the relative safety of United Nations staff. Many speakers expressed disappointment at the deferral or delay in implementing already scheduled and budgeted security improvements. Among specific concerns raised was the need to ensure adequate staffing levels for UNSECOORD and the responsibility of host countries to provide adequate security. Speakers also noted that in the absence of a comprehensive overview, it was difficult to assess real priorities for...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!