A/76/PV.68 General Assembly

Pursuant to General Assembly decision 42/450, of 17 December 1987, and upon their nomination by the Economic and Social Council, the Assembly elects the members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination. Members will recall that, at its 30th plenary meeting, on 11 November 2021, the General Assembly elected five members to the Committee for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2022 and expiring on 31 December 2024. Members will also recall that, at its 52nd plenary meeting, on 16 December 2021, the Assembly elected two members to the Committee: one for a term of office beginning on 16 December 2021 and expiring on 31 December 2023 and the other for a term of office beginning on 1 January 2022 and expiring on 31 December 2024. The Assembly has before it a note by the Secretary- General circulated in document A/76/364/Add.2, which contains a nomination by the Economic and Social Council to fill an outstanding vacancy in the Committee for Programme and Coordination for a term of office beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2024. As indicated in the document, by its decision 2022/203B, of 13 April, the Economic and Social Council nominated Belgium for election by the General Assembly to fill an outstanding vacancy in the Committee for Programme and Coordination for a term of office beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2024. In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, all elections should be held by secret ballot. However, I should like to recall paragraph 16 of decision 34/401, whereby the practice of dispensing with the secret ballot for elections to subsidiary organs when the number of candidates corresponds to the number of seats to be filled should become standard, unless a delegation specifically requests a vote on a given election. In the absence of such a request, may I take it that the Assembly decides to proceed to the election on a basis of dispensing with the secret ballot?

Since there is one State nominated from among the Western European and other States for the one seat to be filled by that group, may I therefore take it that the Assembly wishes to declare Belgium elected as a member of the Committee for Programme and Coordination for a term of office beginning on the date of election and expiring on 31 December 2024? It was so decided (decision 76/404 B).

I congratulate Belgium on its election as a member of the Committee for Programme and Coordination. May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 116?

The General Assembly will now consider the reports of the Fifth Committee on agenda items 136, 137, 138 and 144. I request the Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee, Mr. Kavoy Anthony Ashley of Jamaica, to introduce the reports of the Committee in one intervention. Mr. Ashley (Jamaica), Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee: I have the honour to present to the General Assembly the reports of the Fifth Committee containing recommendations on the issues considered during the first part of the resumed seventy-sixth session. The Fifth Committee met formally and remotely owing to the coronavirus disease pandemic between 4 to 31 March 2022, holding three plenary meetings and numerous informal and informal-informal consultations. Let me now present the reports of the Fifth Committee containing recommendations on issues that require action by the General Assembly. Under agenda item 137, entitled “Programme budget for 2021”, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/76/779, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of one draft resolution, which was adopted by the Committee without a vote. On agenda item 138, entitled “Programme budget for 2022”, the Committee considered two draft resolutions. The Committee first took action on draft resolution A/C.5/76/L.24, submitted by Ethiopia, which was not adopted by a recorded vote. The Committee then proceeded to take action on draft resolution A/C.5/76/L.27. A recorded vote on section III of the draft resolution was requested, which was adopted by a recorded vote. In its report A/76/633/Add.1, the Committee subsequently adopted the draft resolution as a whole without a vote. On agenda item 144, entitled “Joint Inspection Unit”, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/76/778, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of one draft resolution, which was adopted by the Committee without a vote. Finally, under agenda item 136, entitled “Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations”, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/76/634/Add.1, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of one draft decision, entitled “Questions deferred for future consideration”, which was adopted by the Committee without a vote. I thank delegations for their cooperation and the spirit of compromise which enabled the Committee to finish its work on time. Allow me to also express sincere gratitude to the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee for its continued and tireless efforts in supporting our work. I would also like to thank the Chair of the Fifth Committee, Ambassador Mher Margaryan, and his team, and in particular Mr. Andranik Grigoryan, for the dedicated way in which they guided us through our difficult work, as well as to my colleagues in the Bureau, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Ismail Elmahs, Mr. Mohammed Abdulaziz Alateek and Mr. Mike Martin Ammann. It has been my honour to serve as the Rapporteur for this second resumed session. I look forward to working with the Assembly to ensure the success of the second part of the resumed session that will take place in May, in which the Committee will focus on the financing of peacekeeping operations.

I thank the Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee. 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. Therefore, 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 the Assembly today.

Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote or position. May I remind Members that, in accordance with decision 34/401, the General Assembly agreed that: “When the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Committee and in plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, i.e., either in the Committee or in plenary meeting, unless that delegation’s vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee.” May I further remind delegations that, also in accordance with decision 34/401, explanations of vote or position 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 will proceed to take decisions in the same manner as was done in the Fifth Committee, unless notified otherwise in advance. That means that, where a separate vote was 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 Fifth Committee. The results of the voting will be uploaded to the e-deleGATE portal, under plenary announcements.

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 “Progress on the implementation of a flexible workplace at the United Nations Headquarters”. The Committee adopted the draft resolution 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 137.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 14 of its report. I give the floor to the representative of Ethiopia, who wishes to speak in explanation of vote before the voting.

Ethiopia would like to put to the vote section III of draft resolution A/C.5/76/L.27, on the programme budget for 2022, entitled “Revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its thirty-third special session”. The Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia was established with clear political objectives and purposes. The Commission and its staff will not have any relations with or access to Ethiopia. The justifications are the following. On 4 November 2020, the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defense Force was attacked. That was followed by a state of emergency and law-enforcement measures to contain the attack and apprehend the perpetrators. Following that unprecedented experience, allegations about violations of human rights emerged. Immediately thereafter, several complementary investigation mechanisms were created. They include a federal police investigation over individual cases, a regional police investigation over matters falling under the jurisdiction of States of the region, and an investigation by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. We also put in place an interministerial inquiry committee that was in charge of investigations into alleged crimes committed by security officers. All those mechanisms resulted in the prosecution and conviction of several perpetrators. In addition, a joint investigation was launched by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). That investigation, published in November 2021, on the one hand disproved the atrocious accusations against Ethiopia and, on the other, proved the commission of some serious crimes, on which recommendations for accountability and redress were forwarded. By December 2021, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights were in discussions to expand the scope of the joint investigations to places and times not covered under the first report. It is at this juncture that initiatives were reintroduced in the Human Rights Council to establish a Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia. The Government of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission tried to reason with the proponents to allow and give space to the successful joint work of OHCHR and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to see it to its conclusion. The proponents of Human Rights Council resolution S-33/1, of 17 December 2021, refused. The resolution establishing the Commission was established with no support from any African country in the Human Rights Council. The Commission is yet another instance that proves the politicization of human rights, and the application of a double standard and selectivity is becoming the hallmark of the multilateral human rights system, especially against countries of the Global South. Considering the prevailing dynamics in the multilateral human rights system, we do not expect improvement from that sad reality. It is regrettable that the productive relations we have with OHCHR have been undermined and rendered complicated by the Commission. It is unfortunate that our experience will be a lesson for States to decide not to pursue cooperation with the United Nations system. We believe that this plenary of the General Assembly has a responsibility to see to it that the United Nations budget and its scarce resources go to a lawful cause and not a political agenda disguised as human rights. Accordingly, we ask delegations to vote against the allocation of any resources — to vote against the budget draft resolution presented under section III of draft resolution A/C.5/76/L.27.

We will now take a decision on the draft resolution entitled “Special subjects relating to the programme budget for 2022”. A separate recorded vote has been requested on section III of the draft resolution.

The Fifth Committee adopted the draft resolution, as a whole, without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise? The draft resolution, as a whole, was adopted (resolution 76/246 B).

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 138.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted the draft resolution 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 144.

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft decision entitled “Questions deferred for future consideration”. The Committee adopted the draft decision 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 136. The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of all the reports of the Fifth Committee before it for this meeting.