A/71/PV.29 General Assembly

One year ago (see A/70/ PV.4), all 193 States Members of the United Nations gathered in this very Hall to adopt the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a global framework that challenges all of us to create a prosperous, sustainable and equitable world within one generation. Canada commends the early efforts of many African countries to implement the 2030 Agenda and its ambitious set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), alongside the complementary aims of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The 2030 Agenda is universal, and every country in the world must do its part to ensure that no one is left behind. I am proud to say that Canada is fully committed to supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at home and abroad. In fact, we are currently undertaking an international assistance review that will help to shape Canada’s approach to implementation of the SDGs. As we look to revitalize our approach to development, I can say that we will invest our efforts in helping the poorest and most vulnerable, supporting fragile States and empowering women and girls to realize their full potential as active participants in and contributors to their societies. It is clear, however, that investing in development alone is not enough. The theme of this year’s Africa Week here at the United Nations, and indeed the frank and fruitful discussions that it has sparked, underscores the interrelated nature of development, governance and security, and the importance of addressing these issues together in order to achieve peace and prosperity in Africa. Canada is committed to supporting and partnering with African countries to help spur economic growth, promote effective governance, fight climate change and address key drivers of insecurity. For example, Canada recently announced its support for the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, to contribute to the advancement of women in the fields of science and mathematics, strengthen the Institute’s approach to combating climate change and establish a new centre of excellence in francophone Africa. We will continue to pursue mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities, which can generate new revenues and jobs. And as a determined peacebuilder, we will take a more active role in helping to bring stability and security to the world. To that end, my Government has pledged to provide up to 600 Canadian armed forces personnel for possible deployment to United Nations peace operations. Canada also strongly supports regional integration and collaboration in Africa as a mechanism for achieving peace and stability, democratic governance, inclusive development and economic prosperity across the continent. In this regard, we are currently exploring ways to strengthen Canada’s engagement with key continental and regional institutions, including the African Union. Although it is clear that much work must be done to achieve our collective global goals, I would like to assure the Assembly that Canada will remain a strong and dynamic partner in our shared objective of promoting peace, development and prosperity for all of Africa.

South Africa would also like to pay tribute to the memory of His Excellency Mr. Girma Asmerom Tesfay, the late Ambassador of Eritrea to the United Nations. South Africa aligns itself with the statements delivered this morning by the representatives of Thailand, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and the Niger, on behalf of the Group of African States (see A/71/PV.28). From the outset, my delegation considers it important to highlight the fact that the African continent continues to contend with a variety of challenges, including poverty, high unemployment and continued rising inequality. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is an African-tailored strategic blueprint designed to contribute positively to African economies’ active participation in the global economy. It is a deliberate corridor that we have developed to enhance regional economic cooperation and integration. We are pleased that over the years NEPAD has developed much-needed coherence in addressing challenges and exploiting opportunities through programmes that promote economic development, inclusive industrial development and policies aimed at improving productive capacities in Africa. We have no doubt that such coherence will naturally complement efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Nonetheless, we are aware that finding the financing for efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda remains a challenge. Official development assistance (ODA) is therefore still a major source of financing for development, particularly for countries most in need and especially in Africa, but aid alone is not enough to address development challenges and ultimately eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions. In that regard, we urge the international community to support Africa’s efforts to curb the illicit financial flows that continue to hamper the continent’s endeavours to generate innovative sources of funding, including mobilizing domestic resources. Tackling that issue, and combining such efforts with international support, would enable Africa to reduce its reliance on ODA. We are convinced that if Africa is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, it needs greater foreign direct investment (FDI), given the critical role that such investment plays in achieving such development objectives as inclusive economic growth. FDI creates jobs and therefore helps to eradicate poverty and hunger. We would like to emphasize how urgent it is to advance sustainable industrialization in Africa as a key element in diversifying economies, adding value, building productive capacities and creating jobs, thus eradicating poverty on the continent. We therefore urge the international community and the relevant United Nations entities to scale up their support in order to ensure that Africa’s industrialization and infrastructure development programmes are fully implemented. The African Regional Economic Communities have an important role to play in the implementation of NEPAD and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and particularly its first 10-year implementation plan, in close collaboration and cooperation with the African Union (AU). We would therefore like to encourage African countries and the international community to give the Regional Economic Communities the support they need to strengthen their capacity. Undoubtedly, Agenda 2063, as the overarching homegrown strategy for Africa’s socioeconomic transformation over the next few decades, can lead Africa towards a greater future to the benefit of her people. In the light of the importance of enhancing the African Union’s ability to meet the challenges of development, peace and security, we would like to underscore the importance of fully implementing its 10-year capacity-building programme. We also welcome the ongoing efforts to formulate the programme’s successor, since it expires this year. And we want to welcome and acknowledge the progress that has been made by African countries, the AU and subregional organizations in the areas of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and development. Lastly, despite major progress on the issue, the African continent continues to bear the brunt of the problem of malaria. In that regard, we must improve health-care systems and be able to bridge the gaps that continue to undermine African countries’ efforts to gain access to effective interventions and therefore impede efforts to control and eliminate the disease.

I would first like to join others in expressing our deep sorrow at the passing of the Permanent Representative of Eritrea, His Excellency Mr. Girma Asmerom Tesfay, and to extend our sincere condolences and deep sympathy to his family and the Government and the people of Eritrea. We take note that Africa Week 2016, on the theme “Strengthening partnerships for inclusive sustainable development, good governance, peace and stability in Africa”, took place this week in the context of the first year of implementation of both the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Today, in this forum, we are also focusing on Africa’s development priorities, which cover the areas of peace, security, governance, human rights and social, economic and environmental development. Africa will undoubtedly be one of the principal engines of economic growth in the twenty-first century, as can be seen by its remarkable progress so far. With a show of unity, we need to help Africa to overcome the vulnerabilities that result from such progress. Regional and national development plans must be made to be fully responsive to both the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063. Kazakhstan and the African States share common aspirations in terms of security and stability, including the eradication of poverty and economic inequality and the promotion of people-centred development for durable peace. Over the past decade, foundations have been laid for a long-term future partnership with respect to investment opportunities and the broader economy, as well as in the political and cultural fields. Moreover, our two tracks of development have moved in parallel with the same trajectory. As the African Union (AU) started to implement its ambitious Agenda 2063, my country launched the Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy. Both are focused on people-centred development and have the potential to share many best practices and lessons learned. Kazakhstan is deeply committed to Africa, which is a very high priority in our foreign policy due to its importance as an emerging continent. At the United Nations and in all other multilateral regional and national forums, my country has constantly called for a strengthening of AU structures and instruments, increasingly deepening thereby its commitment to Africa. Over the past 10 years, Africa has become the second-fastest-growing region in the world, with an average annual growth rate of 5.1 per cent, which is the result of greater political stability and economic reforms. Kazakhstan will therefore support all of Africa’s efforts aimed at growth and work closely with the region, with the deep conviction that it should also develop ethically. With that in mind, we will see that, over time, no one is left behind. Today, partnerships between developing nations are not a choice, but are instead a key and effective way to protect our common security and address pressing development challenges. The many obstacles Africa faces include pockets of poverty, unemployment among young people and the threat of climate change, all of which are perils that many Member States will also not be able to avoid. The largest number of least developed countries and landlocked developing countries are in Africa and require special attention. Africa therefore needs innovative policymaking and policy implementation, as well as a rethinking of both economic development strategies and the manner in which economic, social and environmental policies are conceived. Kazakhstan strongly believes that we must ensure that Africa does not suffer from unfair and unjust global trade policies, tariffs and subsidies, which impede its ongoing progress, and has been a proponent of this issue at the United Nations and other forums. Like the rest of the world, Africa also needs peace and stability, which are the bedrock of development. Kazakhstan has therefore introduced a new development approach to eliminating the threat of war by calling for agreement on a 2045 global strategic initiative plan to be achieved by the United Nations centenary, as presented last year to the General Assembly by our President, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev (see A/70/PV.13). The aim of this plan is to foster global development based on fair conditions, where all nations have equal access to global infrastructure, resources and markets, and where comprehensive accountability for human development is maintained. Capacity-building and technology transfer are crucial. Kazakhstan is therefore committed to promoting greater South-South collaboration both in Central Asia and far beyond its borders. South-South collaboration is the most vivid example of mutually beneficial partnership. Developing countries are turning to one another for lessons on innovative policies and schemes to address pressing development challenges. We stand ready to share the solutions that have successfully worked for us with other developing nations. Despite our status as the largest landlocked country in the world, Kazakhstan has amassed immense experience in achieving dynamic economic growth, which has resulted in remarkable structural transformation. Partnership and solidarity are the bases for sustainable development at all levels. One of our major joint projects is the third-party cost-sharing agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is aimed at implementing the Africa- Kazakhstan partnership for sustainable development, and which we believe will further strengthen our bonds of cooperation. In addition, we also have a well-established large-scale project that trains African professionals at Kazakh institutions of higher learning in the fields of agriculture, health care, technology and the oil and gas industries. Kazakhstan recognizes that gender equality and the empowerment of women are among the most critical goals for our world, and we are determined to contribute to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women across the world. With that in mind, we sponsored the interim report on the African Women’s Decade 2010-2020 and the report of Her Excellency Ms. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and the heads of AU member States, on the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa. The new paradigm and transformational shift will require enormous resources. At the opening of Africa Week, my Ambassador reiterated our President’s initiative that proposes that each State consider allocating a mere 1 per cent of its defence budget to the UNDP Trust Fund for Sustainable Social Development, Peace and Support to Countries in Special Situations. In this regard, we would underline that on 1 November 2016, the missions of Kazakhstan and Belarus will organize a brainstorming session on cross-cutting First and Second Committee issues, under the theme “Responsible governance on disarmament and non-proliferation for progress and sustainable development”. A formal invitation will be extended to members soon; in the meantime, I would like to take this opportunity to invite members of the Assembly to participate in the event. The harsh and devastating realities of climate change for African countries are well known and documented. Kazakhstan is showcasing renewable sources of energy at the international exhibition Astana Expo-2017 on the theme of the energy of the future, which is extremely relevant to developing countries. We will arrange financing for participation of a number of representatives from developing countries in special situations, including from Africa. The foregoing are some of the numerous meaningful projects that we have embarked upon bilaterally and multilaterally, but time constraints do not allow for me to elaborate on them further. However, I would like to reiterate our deep commitment to Africa’s peace and prosperity, as evidenced by the many embassies we have set up and the partnerships we have built with our African partners. Kazakhstan is proud to be one of the continent’s strongest collaborators and allies.

Our Eritrean colleague has passed away. At the outset, let me reiterate the condolences I sent yesterday to his Mission and staff and to the Government and the people of Eritrea. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Today’s debate is taking place at the conclusion of an intense round of activities within the framework of Africa Week, which began on Monday, 10 October. I would like to begin by expressing my country’s appreciation for the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa; the African Union (AU); Mr. Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the Planning and Coordinating Agency for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD); and all of those who, through their institutions, work tirelessly for the development of Africa. After the so-called lost decade of the eighties, marked by deep pessimism, our continent has once again found its strength and vigour. Africa is on the move — towards the horizon of 2063, where it will be a peaceful, strong and prosperous Africa that is a major player in international relations; on course to implementing the strategic orientations leading to that horizon; and in pursuit of specific goals it has set based on its own perspective and experiences. Our continent hopes its bilateral and multilateral partners will support it on this path, working actively for and with it. On the political level, the cessation of hostilities is on the horizon for 2020, with peace, security, the fight against terrorists such as the Boko Haram sect, good governance, deepened democratic roots and the rule of law, as well as respect for human rights — are some of the goals that we have set and that we are actively pursuing with strong political will in countries on the continent, despite the difficulties that can crop up. It is ancient African cultural tradition not to leave anyone behind. My country, Cameroon, has taken determined steps along this path. At the economic and social levels, Cameroon, which is a member of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee, draws upon the major programmes on infrastructure, industrialization, energy, agriculture, health, research, innovation and technology — all of which NEPAD and Africa have put at the very centre of Africa’s transformation. With regard to infrastructure, in January the African Heads of State approved the strategy to establish the Dakar Agenda for Action, dedicated to actions to finance infrastructure in Africa, through mechanisms to provide services and programmes for development infrastructure in Africa. These various projects and programmes are intended to strengthen support for public-private partnerships on the continent, as well as for other development players, so as to guarantee the mobilization of financing and investments in the 16 priority regional infrastructure projects. With respect to industrialization, my delegation believes that it is indispensable to the structural transformations of African economies to ensure that these transformations produce added value and economic diversification. In the context of globalization and economic change, industrialization is no doubt the means to enable our continent to create inclusive and sustainable economic growth that will generate productive jobs to free millions of people from poverty. That is why the implementation of the Action Plan for Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa, adopted in March 2011, constitutes, in our opinion, an essential element for Africa’s transformation. At the level of institutions and the national infrastructure responsible for implementing NEPAD, to which my country subscribes, my Government has adopted measures to integrate NEPAD priorities into our national development programmes. For example, I would cite the adoption, in accordance with the detailed agricultural development programme in Africa, of our national agricultural investment plan, the purpose of which is to invest more than $6 billion for development in the agricultural sector for the 2014-2020 period. Likewise, in the area of health, Cameroon has been involved in a project to train professional nurses and midwives in Africa with a view to improving the qualifications of nurses and midwives and to bring them up to university and professional masters levels. In considering the domains of science, technology and innovation, I would mention the role my country plays within the framework of the consolidated action plan, which includes initiatives to improve African indicators for science, technology and innovation, fields in which Cameroon is a pioneer. Before I turn to the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, I would like to talk about climate change. On that matter, the massive forested areas of Central Africa, the second lung of the planet, the drying up of Lake Chad and desertification deserve all the attention they can get from the international community. The same holds true for the seas and oceans and space, including outer space. In these areas, Africa has developed programmes and projects that must be supported, for example, the project related to our common position on the seas and oceans and the pan-African space project. (spoke in English) With respect to the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, the Government of Cameroon specially commends the substantial contribution made by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which continues to provide two thirds of the international contributions in the fight against malaria. Cameroon is delighted with the admission of Cameroon to Round 9 of financing and the receipt of a 64 billion CFA francs as a grant in the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. From 2008 to 2013, malaria-related sickness decreased among pregnant women, children under the age of 5 and the general population. These reductions were mainly the result of malaria-control initiatives launched in the country and fully or partially funded by the Global Fund partnership. Faced with that overwhelming reality, the Government of Cameroon welcomes the development of the global technical strategy for malaria 2016- 2030 adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015, which provided a technical framework for all epidemic countries as they work towards controlling and eliminating malaria. The grants provided for combating malaria promote access to a greater level of care in health facilities and at home. Today, an adult can be treated properly for a malaria attack for less than 300 CFA francs, or €0.50. The improvement of the national strategy for the treatment of malaria has involved the following recommendations from the World Health Organization, namely, the confirmation of stocks of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) protocol to avoid an imbalance in inventory management and errors in forecasts with a view to facilitating a rapid response. Community volunteers have been trained since 2008 for distributing ACT to homes and, through the support of the Fund, some 800,000 rapid diagnostic tests were distributed throughout the country, providing a reliable diagnostic result in the shortest time possible. In the area of prevention, vector control was strengthened. The launch in August 2011 of the campaign, known as Knock Out Malaria, involved the free distribution of approximately 9 million mosquito nets in all regions of the country. The Government of Cameroon and the Global Fund reaffirmed their partnership by signing a new malaria grant agreement in the amount of €77 million on 18 February 2015. The grant will fund the distribution of 15.8 million mosquito nets, including a mass-distribution campaign that will strive to achieve universal coverage in Cameroon. In that regard, in June 2016, 12 million treated mosquito nets with a lifespan of two years were distributed. The distribution of these long-lasting treated mosquito nets is part of a campaign to reach out and maintain universal coverage in the fight against malaria through sustainable-impact interventions from 2015 to 2017. The joint effort of the Cameroon Government and its international partners is aimed at knocking out malaria, which is considered one of the most fatal diseases on the African continent. The campaign features an awareness-raising programme enlisting the media, including local radio and television artists, telephone marketers and celebrities, to get out the message. The campaign is expected to achieve the objective of “one household, one net”, which would exceed the current level of coverage, which is 19 per cent. The campaign was expected to accelerate outcomes and scale up the malaria-control programme, in order to eradicate malaria at the national level in the period 2011-2015 and significantly affect morbidity and mortality rates by the end of 2015. (spoke in French) I will conclude with the following remarks. As the President of my country, His Excellency Mr. Paul Biya, underscored from this rostrum on 23 September (see A/71/PV.14), while the task of achieving the sustainable development of Africa is complex and difficult, it is also exhilarating. Numerous statements have already been made on this topic. Many plans of action have been adopted. What is lacking, however, is the active implementation of such projects, statements and plans of action. What is missing is the determined action and the will to realize on the ground what we have jointly decided, sometimes decades ago. (spoke in English) Ultimately, we shall match our words with our deeds.

I would like to begin by conveying my country’s condolences upon the death of the Permanent Representative of Eritrea, His Excellency Mr. Girma Asmerom Tesfay. I would also like to associate my statement with those made by the representative of Thailand on behalf of the Group of 77 and China and by the representative of the Niger on behalf of the Group of African States (see A/71/PV.28). My delegation remains convinced that trade, infrastructure development, a conflict-free Africa, gender equality, women’s empowerment, health care and education remain key among Africa’s priority development areas. We reiterate the importance of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, which the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) developed, focusing on transformative regional projects. Out of the priority regional infrastructure projects identified, Zambia is likely to benefit directly from those that are located or cross its borders, including a project for a 614-kilometre road extending from Serenje to Nakonde, an information-and-communications- technology terrestrial fibre-optic cable extending from Lusaka to the capital of Malawi, Lilongwe, the Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya transmission line and a hydropower project. Furthermore, Zambia remains committed to enhancing agriculture and food security. To this end, my country has incorporated the NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme through the implementation of the national agriculture investment plan for the period from 2014 to 2018, which advocates for the poor and emphasizes agriculturally led economic development. Consequently, over 3 million farmers in Zambia are expected to benefit from 17 different categories of climate-smart technologies and practices. I am further pleased to report that Zambia developed a compendium of climate-oriented agriculture technologies in all three of its agro-ecological regions, which was facilitated through the support from the NEPAD Climate Change Fund, for mainstreaming climate-smart agriculture into the national agriculture-investment plan. With regard to the achieving healthier lives, Zambia will give priority to disease prevention and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, as well as the strengthening of immunization programmes, adopting the target of covering every child in every part of the country. Zambia is also giving priority to working towards reducing malaria-related deaths countrywide and achieving a malaria-free Zambia by 2020. Thus far, the prevalence of malaria and deaths from the disease have steadily decreased, culminating in an impressive 55 per cent reduction in all cases of child mortality. In order to sustain that progress in moving towards the 2020 target, we need to step up the implementation of the malaria-elimination strategy. Zambia is also proactively strengthening its health systems through the implementation of the Zambia health-systems improvement project, which is being piloted in 5 of the 10 provinces across the country. It is envisioned that the lessons to be learned from the project will be a basis for future improvements to our health system. Zambia is committed to promoting human-capital development, as it remains a key priority for Africa. To this end, Zambia will continue to improve the teaching of science and mathematics, which is critical to attaining improvements in technology and innovation for enhanced industrialization and job creation. Zambia will further continue to reduce the mismatch between skills development and the needs of the labour market. With respect to national interventions on gender equality and women’s empowerment, Zambia enacted the Gender Equity and Equality Act of 2015, which fully incorporated into our domestic legislation the major international and regional instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development. The Act also seeks to attain gender equity and equality through the integration of women and men in national development processes. The financing for the development conference held in Addis Ababa in July 2015 took place at a critical time in the consideration of the global financing system needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Zambia therefore welcomes the conclusion of a tripartite agreement between the NEPAD Agency, the World Bank and the SADC Secretariat, with the aim of providing financial and technical support for implementing SADC regional programmes. In conclusion, I wish to mention that my delegation notes that the process of integrating NEPAD into the African Union structures and processes has been slow, despite the work of the African Union Commission and the NEPAD Agency to this end. It is our view that international support would be useful to facilitate establishing the timelines for concluding the matter. Notwithstanding all this, Zambia remains fully committed to ensuring that the priority areas of energy, industrialization, intraregional trade, food security, health care, education, gender equality and adaptation to climate change are fast-tracked under NEPAD.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on these items. The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 62 and its sub-items (a) and (b) and agenda item 12.

As indicated in document A/71/396, which the General Assembly has before it, Inspector George Bartsiotas (United States of America) was appointed by the General Assembly on 26 July 2012 for a five-year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2013 and expiring on 31 December 2017. On 14 March 2016, George Bartsiotas submitted his resignation, effective 30 September 2016, to the Chair of the Joint Inspection Unit, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 3, of the statute of the Joint Inspection Unit. In accordance with article 4, paragraph 5, of the statute, the Chair of the Unit notified the Secretary- General of the vacancy. As a result of the resignation, the General Assembly is required, during the seventy- first session, to appoint a member to fill the vacancy in the Joint Inspection Unit. It is further stated in the note by the Secretary-General that, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 2, of the statute of the Joint Inspection Unit, the person so appointed will hold office for the remainder of that term, provided that it is not less than three years. Otherwise, the duration of the appointment is to be for a full term. In this regard, and in order for consultations to be held, as stipulated in article 3, the Assembly may wish to consider filling the vacancy for a term of office beginning on 1 January 2017 and expiring on 31 December 2021. In this connection, may I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to fill this vacancy for a term of office beginning on 1 January 2017 and expiring on 31 December 2021?

As also indicated in document A/71/396, in accordance with article 3, paragraph 1, of the statute of the Joint Inspection Unit, the President of the General Assembly shall consult with Member States to draw up a list of countries, in this case, one country, which would be requested to propose a candidate for appointment to the Joint Inspection Unit. As further indicated in paragraph 3 of document A/71/396, the General Assembly, by its resolution 61/238, of 22 December 2006, decided that, beginning on 1 January 2008, the President of the General Assembly, when drawing up a list of countries, in accordance with article 3, paragraph 1, of the statute of the Unit, will invite Member States to submit the names of the countries and their respective candidates simultaneously, on the understanding that the candidates submitted were the candidates that the respective Member States intended to propose, to the extent possible, for appointment by the Assembly, in accordance with article 3, paragraph 2, of the statute of the Joint Inspection Unit. After holding the necessary consultations, I should like to communicate to the Assembly the information received from the Chair of the Group of Western European and other States that the Group has endorsed the United States of America to propose a candidate for the vacancy from among the Western European and other States. In accordance with article 3, paragraph 1, of the statute of the Joint Inspection Unit and with resolution 61/238, the United States of America will be requested to submit the name of a candidate and the curriculum vitae highlighting the candidate’s relevant qualifications for the task. I would like to remind members that, in accordance with Assembly resolution 59/267, of 23 December 2004, the candidates should have experience in at least one of the following fields: oversight, audit, inspection, investigation, evaluation, finance, project evaluation, programme evaluation, human-resources management, management, public administration, monitoring and/ or programme performance, as well as knowledge of the United Nations system and its role in international relations. After holding the appropriate consultations described in article 3, paragraph 2, of the statute of the Joint Inspection Unit, including consultations with the President of the Economic and Social Council and with the Secretary-General in his capacity as Chair of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, I will submit the name of the candidate to the Assembly for appointment. As indicated in the schedule of the plenary meetings contained in document A/INF/71/3, delegations are reminded that the appointment of the members of the Joint Inspection Unit has been scheduled for the morning of Thursday, 10 November. We have thus concluded this stage of our consideration of sub-item (h) of agenda item 115.