A/70/PV.90 General Assembly

The Assembly is today to consider a report of the Fifth Committee submitted under sub-item (a), entitled “Appointment of members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions”, of agenda item 114, entitled “Appointments to fill vacancies in subsidiary organs and other appointments”, as contained in document A/70/539/Add.1. In order for the Assembly to consider the report of the Fifth Committee, it will be necessary to reopen the Assembly’s consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 114. May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to reopen its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 114 and proceed immediately to its consideration?

In paragraph 3 of its report, the Fifth Committee recommends that the General Assembly appoint Ms. Carmel Power of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a member of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for a term of office beginning on 16 May 2016 and ending on 31 December 2016. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to appoint Ms. Carmel Power as a member of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for a term of office beginning on 16 May 2016 and ending on 31 December 2016?

The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 114. Reports of the Fifth Committee

The General Assembly will now consider the reports of the Fifth Committee on agenda items 131, 132, 134, 139, 140 and 146. I request the Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee, Mr. Gert Auväärt of Estonia, to introduce in one intervention the reports of the Fifth Committee before the Assembly today. Mr. Auväärt (Estonia), Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee: I have the honour today to present to the General Assembly the reports of the Administrative and Budgetary Committee containing recommendations on issues considered during the first part of the resumed seventieth session of the General Assembly. The Fifth Committee met from 29 February to 24 March and held nine plenary meetings, as well as numerous rounds of informal and informal informal consultations. Considering the Committee’s heavy schedule, it was particularly satisfying that it was able to finish its work on time. On agenda item 131, entitled “Financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors”, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly, in paragraph 7 of its report contained in document A/70/624/Add.1, the adoption of a draft resolution on the reports of the Board of Auditors on the strategic heritage plan of the United Nations Office at Geneva and on progress in the handling of information and communications technology affairs in the Secretariat, which the Committee adopted without a vote. On agenda item 139, entitled “Human resources management”, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/70/800, the adoption of a draft resolution on amendments to the Staff Regulations and Rules, which the Committee adopted without a vote. On agenda item 140, entitled “Joint Inspection Unit”, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/70/801, the adoption of a draft resolution, which the Committee adopted without a vote. On agenda item 146, entitled “Financing of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals”, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/70/634/Add.1, the adoption of a draft resolution on the construction of a new facility for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Arusha Branch, which the Committee adopted without a vote. On agenda item 134, entitled “Programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017”, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/70/648/Add.1, the adoption of a draft resolution entitled “Special subjects relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017”, which the Committee adopted without a vote. The draft resolution covers issues of strengthening property management; the implementation of the organizational resilience management system; managing after-service health insurance liabilities; revised estimates relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017 for the United Nations Monitoring Mechanism; special political missions and the strategic capital review. On agenda item 132, entitled “Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations”, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly, in paragraph 8 of its report contained in document A/70/649/Add.1, the adoption of a draft resolution, entitled “Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat”, which the Committee adopted without a vote. In paragraph 9 of the same report, the Committee recommends to the Assembly the adoption of a draft decision, entitled “Questions deferred for future consideration”, which the Committee adopted without a vote. I wish to thank delegations for their cooperation and flexibility during the Fifth Committee’s negotiations and to assure them that the actions taken during the Committee’s 27th, 31st and 32nd formal meetings are reflected in the reports before the General Assembly. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the Chair of the Fifth Committee, my fellow Bureau members and all the coordinators for their work. Last but not least, I thank the staff of the Fifth Committee secretariat for their commitment, and all the translators and interpreters for assisting us.

I thank the Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee. If there is no proposal under rule 66 of the rules of procedure, I shall take it that the General Assembly decides not to discuss the reports of the Fifth Committee that are before it today.

Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote. The positions of delegations regarding the recommendations of the Fifth Committee have been made clear in the Committee and are reflected in the relevant official records. May I remind delegations that under paragraph 7 of decision 34/401, the General Assembly agreed that “When the same draft resolution is considered in a main committee and in a plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, that is, either in the Committee or in the plenary meeting, unless that delegation’s vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee.” May I furthermore remind delegations that, also in accordance with decision 34/401, explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats. Before we begin to take action on the recommendations contained in the reports of the Fifth Committee, I should like to advise representatives that we are going to proceed to take decisions in the same manner as was done in the Fifth Committee, unless notified otherwise in advance. This means that where recorded votes were taken, we will do the same. I also hope that we will proceed to adopt without a vote those recommendations that were adopted without a vote in the Committee.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Fifth Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 131.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 8 of its report, as well as a draft decision recommended in paragraph 9 of the same report. We will now take action on the draft resolution and on the draft decision, one by one. The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution, entitled “Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat”. The Fifth Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The Assembly will now take action on the draft decision, entitled “Questions deferred for future consideration”. The Fifth Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 132.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution, entitled “Special subjects relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017”. The Fifth Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

I now give the floor to the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic, who wishes to speak in explanation of position on the resolution just adopted.

We have already expressed our principled position on the text contained in the Secretary-General’s report (S/2016/272) on the United Nations Monitoring Mechanism and have emphasized our commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to all those affected, without discrimination. We have also underlined our willingness to cooperate with United Nations agencies and the Organization’s partners on a basis of respect for the guidelines for humanitarian assistance outlined in the provisions of resolution 46/182, foremost among them being respect for national sovereignty and the role of the countries concerned in overseeing the distribution of humanitarian assistance within their territories, as well as for the principles of neutrality, integrity and non-politicization. We stress the importance of delivering humanitarian assistance from within the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, noting that we have already informed the Resident Coordinator of the new Mechanism for facilitating access for humanitarian aid convoys. We reiterate our reservations about some of the points in the Secretary-General’s report, particularly with regard to the lack of accuracy of the figures it contains and the lack of positive cooperation on the part of the Mechanism with the Syrian Government. The Monitoring Mechanism has no mandate to deliver humanitarian aid to unstable areas within the country’s territory. The issue comes under the purview of the Resident Coordinator, who should cooperate with the Syrian Government. We have expressed our position on this matter in various letters and statements on this humanitarian issue sent to the Secretariat. My delegation has aligned itself with the consensus reached on the Assembly’s adoption today of resolution 70/248 B, entitled “Special subjects relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017”. However, we wish to express our reservations about section IV of the resolution, entitled “Revised estimates relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2016-2017 under sections 27, Humanitarian assistance, and 36, Staff assessment: United Nations Monitoring Mechanism”.

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 134.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Fifth Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 139.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Fifth Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 140.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution entitled “Construction of a new facility for the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Arusha branch” recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Fifth Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 146. On behalf of the General Assembly, I would like to thank His Excellency Mr. Durga Prasad Bhattarai, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations and Chair of the Fifth Committee, the members of the Bureau, the Secretary of the Committee and representatives for a job well done. The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of all the reports of the Fifth Committee before it for this meeting.

Members will recall that the Assembly considered agenda item 15 at its 75th and 82nd plenary meetings, on 14 December and 23 December 2015, respectively, and adopted resolution 70/110 under this item. Members will also recall that the Assembly considered, in a joint debate, agenda items 15, 116 and 123 at its 52nd plenary meeting, on 13 November 2015. Members will further recall that, under agenda items 15 and 116, the General Assembly adopted decision 70/539 at its 81st plenary meeting, on 22 December 2015. I now give the floor to the representative of Brazil to introduce draft resolution A/70/L.42.

It is an honour to address this plenary meeting to introduce draft resolution A/70/L.42, which proclaims 2016-2025 the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition. Last year the world committed to ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture, which is Goal 2 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1). The task ahead is not simple. According to available data, nearly 800 million people worldwide remain chronically undernourished; 159 million children under 5 years of age are stunted; 50 million children under 5 years of age suffer from wasting; over 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, and a rapidly increasing number of people are affected by obesity in all regions of the world. Today we still live with scenes of brutal starvation in conflict-affected areas, as well as with the chronic hunger that affects daily and silently poor populations in places free from conflict. This reality is even more unacceptable when we understand that the planet produces enough food to feed all humankind. Clearly, not enough is being done to ensure the right to food. This is what draft resolution A/70/L.42 is about, and this is why it has gained such broad support from Member States, including a large number of sponsors from various regions. As requested by the 2014 Rome Declaration on Nutrition, we will now have a platform within the United Nations to build synergy among all ongoing initiatives to end hunger and malnutrition, to give visibility to the problem and to engage everyone in finding solutions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) will coordinate the implementation of the Decade in collaboration with the World Food Programme, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the United Nations Children’s Fund. But the decade should not be seen as a United Nations process only. In order to ensure food security and proper nutrition for all, we need to bring together Member States, civil society, the private sector, academia and the media. We need a collective engagement towards this coming endeavour. It is time to tackle the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, which are, to a large degree, a consequence of poverty and inequality. We need to invest in small-scale food producers to reduce trade distortions, build sustainable food systems, pursue sustainable consumption and production patterns, and reduce food loss and waste. Brazil is deeply committed to ensuring food security and nutrition, both domestically and through international cooperation, in particular South-South and triangular cooperation. In the past few years, my country has made important strides in increasing access to income and food, as well as in fighting extreme poverty. The right to adequate food was affirmed as a constitutional right in 2010, and we are proud to no longer figure on FAO’s hunger map. This achievement is the result of a systematic investment in cash transfers, public-sector food procurement and social mobilization, and requires constant attention to be sustained and deepened. We look forward to engaging in the implementation of the Decade, sharing information on our national policies and learning from other countries’ experiences. A great Brazilian statesman and intellectual, Josué de Castro, once said that hunger and war do not follow any natural law; they are rather human creations. The United Nations Decade on Action on Nutrition has been designed to raise awareness and to enlist political support for the fight against hunger at all levels. I thank Member States who participated in the negotiations of this draft resolution, as well as FAO and WHO for their technical support along the process.

I thank the representative of Brazil. We shall now proceed to consider draft resolution A/70/L.42. The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/70/L.42, entitled “United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025)”. I now give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

I should like to announce that, since the submission of the draft resolution, and in addition to those delegations listed in the draft document, the following countries have also become sponsors of draft resolution A/70/L.42: Cameroon, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Slovenia, Thailand and Turkey.

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to adopt draft resolution A/70/L.42?

The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 15.