A/RES/2617(XXIV) GA

Re11olution11 adopted on the reportll of the Fifth Committee 93 2616 (XXIV). United Nations accommodation in Bangkok and Addis Ababa The General Assembly 1. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary- General dealing with United Nations accommodation in Bangkok46 and Addis Ababa47 and of the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;48 2. Concurs in the observations and recommenda- tions of the Advisory Committee, contained in para- graphs 29 to 35 of its report; 3. Authorizes the Secretary-General, bearing in mind those observations and recommendations, to pro- ceed in accordance with the proposals contained in his reports. 49 1837th plenary meeting, 17 December 1969. 2617 (XXIV). Study of the nature of the in- creases in the level of expenditure in the United Nations regular budget The General Assembly, Noting the concern expressed by some Member States regarding the expansion in the level of the United Nations budget, Mindful of the need for intensified efforts to bring about the most economic and efficient utilization of the resources of the United Nations in the light of the normal expansion in the activities of the Organiza- tion, Convinced that it is inappropriate to control growth in programmes through limitations on budgetary levels, particularly at a time when new areas eminently suited for international co-operation and action continue to emerge, Conscious of the need to have a clear and objective picture of the various factors that have contributed to the expansion of the United Nations budget in the past, Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its twenty-fifth session an eco- nomic and financial analysis of the nature of the in- crease in the activities, staff and budget of the United Nations, clearly distinguishing between the increase in money terms and that in real terms, taking into account, to the extent possible, inter alia, the follow- ing factors: (a) The reduction in the purchasing power of the amounts contributed by Member States to the regular budget of the United Nations as a result of a general rise in the cost of goods and services and the rise in the cost of living at the locations of principal United Nations offices; ( b) The correlation between: (i) The rise in the contributions to the regular budgets of the United Nations and the special- ized agencies as well as to international pro- grammes within the United Nations system for promoting the economic development of the developing countries, and 46 Official Records of the General Assembly, Twenty-fourth Session, Annexes, agenda item 74, document A/C.5/1264. 47 Ibid., document A/C.5/1265. 48 Ibid., document A/7806. 49 Ibid., documents A/C.5/1264, para. 15, and A/C.5/1265, para. 23. (ii) The rise in the level of national budgets with particular reference to the rate of expansion of the national administrative establishments and the level and growth of the gross national product of States contributing more than 1 per cent of the regular budget of the United Nations; ( c) The growth in the traditional and the new fields of activity of the United Nations in carrying out its responsibilities in promoting international co-operation in the areas of economic and social development; (d) The extent of the increase in the United Nations regular budget as a result of: (i) The increase in the membership of the Organi- zation; (ii) The increase in the number of working lan- guages; (iii) The wider experience and higher qualifications of personnel now required by the Organiza- tion, particularly for its development work, because of the growing complexity and inter- disciplinary character that the developmental problems have come to acquire. 1837th plenary meeting, 17 December 1969. 2618 (XXIV). New construction and major al- terations to existing premises at United Nations Headquarters The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 2487 (XXIII) of 21 De- cember 1968 entitled "Proposed new construction and major alterations to existing premises at United Nations Headquarters", in which it authorized the Secretary- General to proceed, at an estimated cost to the United Nations of $250,000 in 1969, with the preparation of detailed plans and specifications on which reliable cost estimates could be based, Noting the subsequent report of the Secretary- GeneraP0 and the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions51 on pro- posed new construction and major alteration to existing premises at United Nations Headquarters, Recognizing that there is currently an acute space shortage at Headquarters, as well as at many other major United Nations locations, and that the existing circumstances preclude any immediate relief except through new construction, Convinced that the assistance of the host country is urgently needed to help resolve the considerable diffi- culties which exist for delegations and staff in New York in acquiring and retaining suitable and moder- ately priced office and residential accommodation in convenient locations, A ware that many factors must be considered in determining the optimum locations at which additional construction should be undertaken, including the inter- relationships between the organizational units of the United Nations, inflationary pressures, including cost- of-living factors, and the like, Convinced also that all the possibilities of relocating units of the United Nations now or in the near future in the context of the existing need to build at all tm Ibid., documents A/C.5/1246 and Add.I. 51 /bid., document A/7835.

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