G-77 and China Statement of the Joint 56th reconvened session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the 22nd reconvened session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) delivered by H.E. Ambassador Mahmoud EL AMIN, Permanent Representative of the Sudan
Vienna, 12 December 2013
Mr. Chairman,
1. At the outset, the Group of 77 and China would like to express its sympathy and convey its heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of the Republic of South Africa, for the loss of the former President of the Republic H.E Nelson Mandela.
2. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China and I am pleased to convey to you our pleasure in seeing both of you preside over this joint reconvened session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). I also take this opportunity to thank the Secretariat for the preparation of this resumed session.
3. The Group would like to recall the important decisions taken by the CND and the CCPCJ to establish an intergovernmental working group to improve the governance and financial situation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and reiterate the vision that inspired its intense efforts towards the constitution of the working group: the setting up of a permanent, open, constructive, transparent and Member-State driven mechanism to deal effectively with the governance and financial challenges that UNODC increasingly faces to fulfil its mandate, in particular as regards the two Commissions that are the backbone of such mandate.
4. In the above context, the Group reiterates its disposition to contribute to tasks of the working group, namely:
a) Strengthening the financial situation of UNODC, mainly by addressing its current unpredictable, highly fragmented and constrained funding structure.
b) Ensuring an adequate matching of the funding provided for the activities of UNODC with the priorities fixed by Member States regarding the mandate of the Office.
c) Reinforcing the comparative advantage of UNODC as the body of the UN best suited to provide capacity-building and technical assistance to address its mandate.
d) Ensuring an effective and adequate implementation and follow up of the decisions taken by the CND and the CPCCJ, and reinforcing the role of the two Commissions as governing bodies.
e) Developing a more effective response of UNODC in the field.
5. The Group is persistently concerned about the financial situation of UNODC and the gaps in its governance continue to expect substantive and concrete recommendations on the improvement in these issues.
6. The FINGOV's positive role as a formal body is recognized widely in so far that it constitutes an appropriate forum for a fruitful dialogue on UNODC's programme development and implementation in a consultation and reviewing process, strengthening the trust and deepening the understanding between Member States and the Secretariat, as well as between Member States themselves.
7. Additionally and following the consensus of Member States regarding the extension of the mandate of the Working Group during the two session of the two Commissions held earlier this year, the Group considers that the Fingov should become a permanent consultative body of the Commissions, thus facilitating a more active participation and engagement by all delegations, thus effectively improving the governance and the financial situation of UNODC.
Mr. Chairman,
8. The Group would like also to convey its worries regarding any revision to the funding structure of the activities of the UNODC. The discussions related to any new funding model should take into consideration a sustainable funding to the technical assistance provided and fields office activities. The negotiations should result in concrete proposals that would contribute to the improvement of financial and governance situation of UNODC.
