A/36/PV.106 General Assembly

I now call on the representative of Algeria for an explanation of vote.

It is my honour to make the following statement on behalf of the Group of 77. 11. The General Assembly has just adopted a decision to continue at its thirty-seventh session the study of the formulation, presentation, review and approval of pro- .gramme budgets, the subject of the draft resolution sub- . mitted by the Group of 77 on 14 December last. 12. The importance and the tremendous relevance of that very subject meant that it was indeed worth while oringing together all the earlier decisions in this area in': one single document-decisions which. unfortunately, have only been partly implemented. 13. There is no point in recalling the circumstances sur- rounding the drafting of that text. The content and scope of the statements made in the Fifth Committee led the Group of 77 to get down to this task and to undertake all the necessary consultations with. a view to arriving at a unanimously agreed solution. However. in the short time available we were not able to take a decision before the session was suspended last December. 15. The draft resolution is formulated around one key idea: the programme budget. It is quite natural that for the study of a matter that is so complex it was necessary to explore all channels-upstream and downstream-re- lating to programmes and budgets. That is why guidelines are. referred to and measures to be taken by Member States are suggested, in the light of facts and also of events. 16. If the draft resolution is more forceful in some of its provisions, that is because of a certain arbitrary approach shown in some decisions that were taken too hastily to be effective and were not based on any legislative founda- tion. 17. I do not wish to introduce the draft resolution again; it was already introduced at the appropriate time. I should simply like to say that the Group of 77 is profoundly con- vinced that the ideas and concepts contained in the draft resolution, particularly those directly relating to pro- grammes and to the budget, must be taken up comprehen- sively at the next session. That was the approach taken by the Group of 77 when it went along with the consensus. In a spirit of co-operation, open-mindedness and also re- sponsibility, the Group of 77 has already twice agreed to the postponement of a decision on- this draft resolution. 18. We are entitled to expect that at the next session this matter of such decisive importance to the proper function- ing of the Organization should be dealt with on a priority basis and that meanwhile it should remain an indication and expression of the concern of a very large majority of Member States. 19. I cannot conclude my brief statement without thank- ing, on behalf of the Group of 77, the Secretary-General, who was good enough to take time from his many tasks to do us the honour of addressing the Fifth Committee on 17 March last.

The General Assembly will now consider part III of the report of the Fifth Committee on agenda item HO, which concerns subitem (b) on the fi- nancin~ of UNIFIL

Before I adjourn this meeting I should like to remind the Assembly that there was one other item which we had indicated might be taken up at the resumed session. That item was the one relating to global negotiations and, as I indicated at the 106th meet- ing when we opened this series of meetings, consultations are still going on in regard to this item. The meeting rose at 3.55 p.m. NarES I The delegation of Mauritius subsequently informed the Secretariat that it had intended to vote in favour of the draft resolution.