Statement by the Group of 77 and China at the Joint Meeting of the Reconvened Sessions of the 61th CND and the 27th CCPCJ, delivered by Ms. Veronica Gomez, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Ecuador
Statement of the G-77 and China during the Twenty-Seventh Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, 14 - 18 May 2018 delivered by H.E. Ambassador Carlos Játiva, Permanent Representative of Ecuador
Vienna, 6 December 2018 - Agenda item 4
H.E. Ambassador Alicia Buenrostro, Chair of the CND, H.E. Lotfi Bouchaara, Chair of the CCPCJ, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates,
1. It is my pleasure to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the occasion of the joint meeting of the 61th reconvened session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the 27th reconvened session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ).
2. The Group appreciates Ambassador Buenrosto and Ambassador Bouchaara for their co-chairpersonship of the joint meeting of the two Commissions.
3. The Group takes note with appreciation of the preparations made by the Secretariat for this joint meeting.
Your Excellencies,
4. The Group reiterates the significance of the ‘open-ended intergovernmental working group to improve the governance and financial situation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’ (FINGOV). The FINGOV continues to serve as a useful forum for regular consultations and review, including in regard to matters related to UNODC's programme development and implementation.
5. The Group wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Moataz Khaled of Egypt and Mr. Ignacio Baylina of Spain for chairing FINGOV. Bearing in mind that its mandate has been extended until 2021, G-77 and China wishes to see FINGOV continuing to play an increasingly active role in enhancing communication between Member States and the Secretariat, thereby strengthening Member States’ trust and transparency in matters related to governance and financial situation of the Office as well as effectiveness of its programmes.
6. The Group reiterates the importance of adequate, predictable and stable funding for UNODC in order for the Office to enhance provision of technical assistance, in particular to developing countries, upon request. In the same vein, the Group emphasizes the need for efficient utilization of such resources.
7. The Group notes with concern the challenges facing UNODC due to the shortfall in general purpose funding and underlining funding trends affecting the office ability to efficiently and independently uphold core programmatic functions, in particular normative work and research.
8. Regarding the annual programme implementation plan for 2020, the Group requests the Secretariat to keep Member States fully involved in the elaboration of all the coming annual programme implementation plans and throughout the process towards approving these plans, through FINGOV.
Distinguished co-chairs,
9. We would like to receive more information regarding the creation of the so-called “one-off surge capacity”, funded by programme support cost (PSC), which is supposed to strengthen field-based presence. We also request the Secretariat to fully consult with Member States before such initiatives are implemented.
10. In the same line, the Group requests further information about the use of programme support costs to support field offices including through the surge and the implications of this approach on the general-purpose fund.
11. The Group reiterates that the all-funding models of UNODC should, inter alia, not hinder the field activities of the Office or affect the scope of delivery of technical assistance. The Group requests the Office to continue providing information to Member States on the implementation of the funding model and its impact on the work of the Office, including, but not limited to, its ability to deliver technical assistance to Member States upon their request.
12. The Group reiterates that UNODC should hold consultations among relevant stakeholders, in particular the host countries, in advance of any possible changes to the field presence of the Office.
13. The Group also underscores the need for UNODC to enhance effectiveness of its technical assistance programmes and activities, in close consultations with and guidance from Member States.
14. We would also like to emphasize the need for regular dialogue and consultations between Member States and UNODC regarding the latter’s ongoing and planned research activities. The UNODC’s research work should be based on clear mandates and policy guidance provided by the Governing Bodies. The Group requests the Secretariat to submit a consolidated list of all the research activities that have taken place in the past three years, as well as those that are already planned for the future, including the titles and main donors for each one of these activities.
15. The Group takes note with concern of the information contained in the report of the Executive Director on gender balance and geographical representation within the UNODC.
16. In this regard, the Group appreciates the information on the global project on gender equality and the empowerment of women, and looks forward to more information regarding the Strategy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (2018–2021) and its impact. The Group also requests the Executive Director of UNODC to achieve equal representation of women at senior and policy-making levels, and to report on the progress of such measures to the Commissions.
17. The Group reiterates its preoccupation that concrete and sustainable efforts are still lacking to enhance representation of developing countries in the staff composition of the Office, particularly developing Member States that are unrepresented or underrepresented in the Secretariat of UNODC. The situation at the professional and D-level is also of serious concern given the lack of representation of developing countries. The Group strongly requests the Executive Director to provide more information regarding the specific corrective measure implemented and formally requests the Executive Director to present a strategy for equitable geographical representation in the coming formal meetings of the CND and CCPCJ.
18. The Group requests FINGOV to continue on a regular basis and on a standing agenda item to review the progress made by the Office in improving representation from developing countries. The Group calls on the Executive Director to enhance meaningful efforts to increase the representation of developing countries in the Secretariat, including inter alia through the establishment of a balanced geographical representation team at the Executive Director’s office, and in particular at the professional, senior and policy-making levels, in order to ensure equitable geographical representation, and report on the progress thereon to the Commissions.
