A/RES/65/259 GA

United Nations A/RES/65/259 General Assembly Distr.: General 11 April 2011 Sixty-fifth session Agenda item 129 10-52808 *1052808* Please rec cle ♲ Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 24 December 2010 [on the report of the Fifth Committee (A/65/646/Add.1)] 65/259. Questions relating to the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 The General Assembly, I Administrative and financial implications arising from the report of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the administrative and financial implications arising from the report of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board1 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,2 Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;1 II Revised estimates under section 28A (Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 and under the support account for peacekeeping operations (enterprise resource planning project (Umoja)) and International Public Sector Accounting Standards Recalling section II of its resolution 60/283 of 7 July 2006, sections II and V of its resolution 63/262 of 24 December 2008, and its resolution 64/243 of 24 December 2009, Having considered the second progress report of the Secretary-General on the enterprise resource planning project and revised estimates under section 28A (Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Management) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 and under the support account for peacekeeping operations,3 _______________ 1 A/C.5/65/3. 2 A/65/567. 3 A/65/389. A/RES/65/259 2 and the third progress report of the Secretary-General on the adoption of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards by the United Nations,4 as well as the related reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,5 1. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General;3,4 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,5 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; A. Enterprise resource planning project 3. Recalls paragraph 113 of its resolution 64/243, and requests the Secretary- General to continue to make efforts to deploy the enterprise resource planning project (Umoja) on the basis of lower-cost options, while also looking for opportunities to reduce cost projections, without altering the approach approved by the General Assembly; 4. Urges the Secretary-General to make every effort to fill the vacancies in the enterprise resource planning project team as a matter of priority and to explore all possibilities for expediting the process, so as to minimize any adverse impact on project implementation; 5. Stresses that the temporary posts related to the implementation of Umoja are limited to the duration of that project; 6. Decides not to appropriate the amount of 12,416,300 United States dollars, in the light of the subsequent proposal of the Secretary-General contained in paragraph 18 of his first performance report on the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011;6 B. International Public Sector Accounting Standards 7. Notes the continued dependency between the timeline for the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards and the enterprise resource planning project (Umoja); 8. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards at the United Nations is completed no later than 2014; III Overseas property management and construction projects in progress, and revised estimates under section 20 (Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 relating to the relocation of the subregional headquarters in Mexico Recalling its resolution 56/270 of 27 March 2002, section IV of its resolution 58/272 of 23 December 2003, sections IX and X of its resolution 62/238 of _______________ 4 A/65/308. 5 A/65/576 and A/65/577. 6 A/65/589. A/RES/65/259 3 22 December 2007, section I of its resolution 63/263 of 24 December 2008, and its resolution 64/243 of 24 December 2009, Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General on overseas property management and construction projects in progress7 and on revised estimates under section 20 (Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 relating to the relocation of the subregional headquarters in Mexico,8 as well as the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,9 1. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General;7,8 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,9 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to expeditiously assess the status of conference facilities at the Economic Commission for Africa, in particular Africa Hall and Conference Room 1, to ensure that they are in strict compliance with the highest international standards for conference facilities, and to report thereon in the context of his next annual progress report on the construction of additional conference facilities at the Commission; 4. Welcomes the recent efforts of the Secretary-General to utilize additional funding arrangements to ensure that the project for the construction of additional office facilities at the Commission proceeds as originally designed, and requests the Secretary-General to provide regular briefings to Member States on the implementation of the project; 5. Authorizes the Secretary-General to enter into commitments in an amount up to 1,758,800 dollars under section 20 (Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 and to report, in the context of his second performance report for the biennium 2010–2011, on the actual expenditure incurred; IV After-service health insurance: medical and dental reserve funds Having considered the report of the Secretary-General entitled “After-service health insurance: medical and dental reserve funds”10 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,11 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;10 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;11 3. Notes the significant variation in the levels of reserve balances maintained for the United Nations medical and dental reserve funds mentioned in the report of _______________ 7 A/65/351. 8 A/65/385. 9 A/65/518. 10 A/65/342. 11 A/65/507. A/RES/65/259 4 the Secretary-General, and therefore requests the Secretary-General to establish guidelines to ensure greater consistency in future in this regard; 4. Takes note of the information provided by the Secretariat that it will continue to use premium holidays to distribute surpluses in excess of six to seven months of costs in the CIGNA Dental, Aetna and Van Breda reserve funds and that, in relation to the Medical Insurance Plan reserve fund, this and/or other methods will be used to distribute surpluses, given the high number of surpluses available; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to include, in future performance reports on the budget, information regarding the medical and dental reserve funds, the number of months that premium holidays have been applied during the budgetary period, other surplus fund distribution methods used, and the financial impact on the budgets; 6. Recalls paragraph 3 of its resolution 64/241 of 24 December 2009, and requests the Secretary-General to include, in his report to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session, an analysis of options for the judicious use of reserves in excess of reasonable industry and United Nations standards, in the context of the forthcoming analysis of pay-as-you-go and long-term financing strategies for after- service health insurance liabilities; V Revised estimates under the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 relating to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates under the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 relating to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict12 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,13 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;12 2. Reaffirms that the Fifth Committee is the Main Committee of the General Assembly entrusted with responsibility for administrative and budgetary matters, and reaffirms the role of the Committee in carrying out a thorough analysis of and approving human and financial resources and policies, with a view to ensuring the full, effective and efficient implementation of all mandated programmes and activities and the implementation of policies in this regard; 3. Also reaffirms its role with regard to the structure of the Secretariat, and stresses that proposals to amend the overall departmental structure, as well as the format of the programme budget and the biennial programme plan, are subject to its review and prior approval; 4. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,13 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; _______________ 12 A/64/763. 13 A/64/7/Add.23. For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 7A. A/RES/65/259 5 5. Recalls paragraph 7 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and expresses concern about the apparent failure of the Secretary-General to follow the procedure for establishing posts funded through extrabudgetary resources, as set forth in General Assembly resolution 35/217 of 17 December 1980; 6. Recognizes the strategic role played by senior-level staff in the work of the Organization, and in this regard recalls paragraph 33 of its resolution 64/243 and requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide the General Assembly with comprehensive information on all decisions involving established and temporary high-level posts, including equivalent positions financed from the regular budget and from extrabudgetary resources; 7. Expresses concern over the lack of detailed analysis presented by the Secretary-General with regard to costing the establishment of a website for the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; 8. Requests the Secretary-General to take all steps necessary to ensure the maximum level of cooperation, coordination and integration of efforts in order to avoid duplication and overlaps between the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and other relevant entities, including the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, and also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly on his efforts in this regard in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013; 9. Also requests the Secretary-General to provide detailed information on the function of the team of experts and the specific types of funding of the posts and positions used, and to report thereon to the General Assembly in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013; 10. Further requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the most cost- effective, timely and secure services, as well as support-related issues, are considered in the creation of a website for the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; 11. Recalls paragraph 13 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and requests the Secretary-General to consider, as appropriate, through the relevant offices, including the Department of Public Information and the Office of Information and Communications Technology of the Secretariat, the cost-effective and timely provision of such services in-house; 12. Decides to establish nine posts (1Under-Secretary-General, 1D-1, 1 P-5, 1 P-4, 2 P-3 and 3 General Service (Other level)) for the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, effective 1 January 2011, under the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011; 13. Also decides to appropriate a total amount of 1,724,900 dollars, at 2010– 2011 initial rates, under the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011, comprising 1,127,000 dollars under section 1 (Overall policymaking, direction and coordination), 462,900 dollars under section 28D (Office of Central Support Services), and 135,000 dollars under section 36 (Staff assessment), to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1 (Income from staff assessment); A/RES/65/259 6 VI Revised proposal for the use of regular budget resources for the normative support functions of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women Recalling its resolution 64/289 of 2 July 2010, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the revised proposal for the use of regular budget resources for the normative support functions of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women),14 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,15 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;14 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,15 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; 3. Welcomes the establishment of UN-Women as an important ongoing effort by the Organization to strengthen its system-wide capacity to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and to lead, coordinate and promote the accountability of the United Nations system in its work; 4. Stresses the importance of the fundamental principles of universality and national ownership for the work of UN-Women; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to take all steps necessary to ensure the maximum level of cooperation, coordination and integration of efforts in order to avoid duplication and overlaps between UN-Women and other relevant entities, including the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on Violence against Children, and also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly on his efforts in this regard in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013; 6. Recalls paragraph 13 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and encourages UN-Women to make the best possible use of human and financial resources at its disposal, without undermining the implementation of mandated programmes and activities; 7. Notes that, for the biennium 2010–2011, 1.4 per cent of the total estimated budget for UN-Women is proposed to be financed from the regular budget, and that most of the senior management posts, at the Assistant Secretary-General and Director levels included in the organizational chart, were proposed to be funded through voluntary contributions; 8. Requests the Secretary-General to further elaborate, in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013, the normative intergovernmental processes undertaken by UN-Women to implement its mandate, as referred to in paragraph 75 of its resolution 64/289, in order to specify whether the activities of UN-Women, including administrative, evaluation, coordination, research and _______________ 14 A/65/531. 15 A/65/593. A/RES/65/259 7 analytical policy functions, would support or be considered normative intergovernmental processes; operational intergovernmental processes and operational activities; or a combination thereof; 9. Also requests the Secretary-General to reflect, in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013, the necessary budget allocation resulting from the information requested in paragraph 8 above so as to ensure an appropriate source of funding of the financial resources required, including the funding of senior-level posts; 10. Recalls its resolution 58/269 of 23 December 2003, and requests the Secretary-General to submit a revised strategic framework for the bienniums 2010– 2011 and 2012–2013 reflecting the revision of the programmatic aspects arising from the creation of UN-Women through the Committee for Programme and Coordination, to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session for consideration; 11. Emphasizes the importance of adequate and transparent financing for UN-Women for the effective discharge of its mandate; 12. Approves the use of a grant arrangement pertaining to the regular budget portion of UN-Women, as proposed in paragraphs 19 to 21 of the report of the Secretary-General, and decides that posts financed by the grant from the regular budget shall be requested on a post-by-post basis in future regular budget proposals; 13. Stresses that the use of the grant modality should not lessen in any way the requirement for detailed reporting to the General Assembly on the utilization of regular budget resources; 14. Reiterates its decision that the composition and selection of staff of UN- Women shall be in accordance with the provisions of Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, with due regard to geographical representation and gender balance; 15. Decides to establish three new posts (1Under-Secretary-General, 1 D-2 and 1 General Service (Other level)) under section 37 (UN-Women) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011; 16. Also decides to approve an additional amount of 430,100 dollars, at 2010–2011 initial rates, under the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011, comprising 367,800 dollars under section 37 (UN-Women), and 62,300 dollars under section 36 (Staff assessment), to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1 (Income from staff assessment); 17. Further decides that the additional amount of 430,100 dollars would represent a charge against the contingency fund for the biennium 2010–2011; VII Revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 2010 Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council A/RES/65/259 8 at its substantive session of 201016 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,17 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;16 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;17 3. Approves, under section 16 (International drug control, crime and terrorism prevention and criminal justice) of the programme budget, the redeployment of one P-5 post of Chief, Strategic Planning Unit, from subprogramme 2 (Policy and trend analysis) to executive direction and management, as Chief, Independent Evaluation Unit; VIII Revised estimates arising from the increase in the membership of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates arising from the increase in the membership of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families18 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,19 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;18 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;19 IX Revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth sessions Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General on revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth sessions20 and the related reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,21 1. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General;20 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the reports of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,21 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; 3. Takes note of paragraph 7 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions on revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its fifteenth _______________ 16 A/65/319. 17 A/65/505. 18 A/65/85. 19 A/65/541. 20 A/65/333 and Corr.1 and Add.1 and Add.1/Corr.1. 21 A/65/548 and Add.1. A/RES/65/259 9 session22 and decides to provide, under general temporary assistance, four posts (1 P-4, 1 P-3, 1 P-2 and 1 General Service (Other level)), as well as to provide for consultant services for the duration of nine months in connection with the adoption of Council resolution 15/23 of 1 October 2010 on the elimination of discrimination against women;23 4. Also takes note of paragraph 8 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;22 X Revised estimates under section 23 (Human rights) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 resulting from the increase in the membership of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates under section 23 (Human rights) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010– 2011 resulting from the increase in the membership of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,24 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,25 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;24 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;25 3. Decides to establish, under section 23 (Human rights) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011, one P-3 Human Rights Officer post, effective 1 January 2011, to assist the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with the examination of reports of States parties; 4. Also decides to approve, as a charge against the contingency fund for the biennium 2010–2011, at 2010–2011 initial rates, the amount of 309,100 dollars under section 23 (Human rights), and the amount of 10,600 dollars under section 36 (Staff assessment), to be offset by an equivalent amount under income section 1(Income from staff assessment); XI Revised estimates resulting from the increase in the membership of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment pursuant to article 5 of the Optional Protocol Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on revised estimates resulting from the increase in the membership of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment pursuant _______________ 22 A/65/548/Add.1. 23 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/65/53/Add.1), chap. I. 24 A/65/400. 25 A/65/506. A/RES/65/259 10 to article 5 of the Optional Protocol 26 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,27 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;26 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;27 3. Decides to establish six temporary posts for the year 2011, within existing resources, as follows: (a) two P-5 and two P-4 posts, under section 2 (General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management) and (b) one P-3 and one General Service (Other level) posts, under section 23 (Human rights) and requests the Secretary-General to report on the expenditures incurred, in the context of his second performance report on the programme budget for the biennium 2010-2011; 4. Also decides to approve, as a charge against the contingency fund for the biennium 2010–2011, an amount of 791,800 dollars, at 2010–2011 initial rates, for non-post resources, comprising 36,600 dollars under section 28E (Administration, Geneva) and 755,200 dollars under section 23 (Human rights) of the programme budget for the biennium; XII Request for a subvention to the Special Court for Sierra Leone Recalling its resolution 58/284 of 8 April 2004, section VII of its resolution 59/276 of 23 December 2004, and section II of its resolution 59/294 of 22 June 2005, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the request for a subvention to the Special Court for Sierra Leone 28 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,29 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;28 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,29 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; 3. Takes note of paragraphs 15 and 16 of the report of the Advisory Committee; 4. Notes, as an exceptional measure, the funding requirement for the Special Court for Sierra Leone of up to 12,239,344 dollars, covering the periods from 1 January to 31 December 2011 and from 1 January to 29 February 2012, to supplement the voluntary financial resources of the Court; 5. Authorizes the Secretary-General, as an exceptional measure, to enter into commitments in an amount not to exceed 9,882,594 dollars to supplement the voluntary financial resources of the Special Court, for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2011; _______________ 26 A/65/500. 27 A/65/574. 28 A/65/570. 29 A/65/603. A/RES/65/259 11 6. Decides that the amount referred to in paragraph 5 above is authorized on the understanding that: (a) Any regular budget funds appropriated for the Special Court will be refunded to the United Nations at the time of the liquidation of the Court, should sufficient voluntary contributions be received; (b) The United Nations Secretariat and the Management Committee, the Registrar and other senior officials of the Special Court will intensify their efforts to fund the activities of the Court through voluntary contributions; 7. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session on the implementation of the present resolution; XIII Estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political initiatives authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council, and implementation of Assembly resolution 63/261 on the strengthening of the Department of Political Affairs Recalling its resolutions 64/244 A and B of 24 December 2009, section VI of its resolution 64/245 of 24 December 2009 and section IV of its resolution 64/260 of 29 March 2010, Recalling also its resolution 63/261 of 24 December 2008 on the strengthening of the Department of Political Affairs of the Secretariat, Recalling further the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation, 30 and the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations,31 Reaffirming the role of the General Assembly and its relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies, within their respective mandates, in planning, programming, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General on estimates in respect of special political missions, good offices and other political initiatives authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council32 and on the implementation of Assembly resolution 63/261 on the strengthening of the Department of Political Affairs,33 as well as the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,34 1. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General;32,33 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions34 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; _______________ 30 ST/SGB/2000/8. 31 ST/SGB/2003/7 and Amend.1. 32 A/65/328 and Add.1 and Add.1/Corr.1 and 2, Add.2 and Corr.1, Add.3 and Corr.1 and Add.4 and 5. 33 A/65/161 and Corr.1. 34 A/65/602. A/RES/65/259 12 3. Welcomes the continuing efforts by the Department of Political Affairs to fulfil the requirements of resolution 63/261, and in this regard requests that further efforts be made to ensure the full implementation thereof; 4. Regrets the recurrent late introduction of the reports on the matter under consideration, which hinders their proper examination by the General Assembly, and requests the Secretary-General and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions to submit their reports in a timely manner; 5. Reaffirms paragraphs 38 to 41 of resolution 64/243, and recalls paragraph 16 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to provide the information referred to therein in future proposed budgets for special political missions; 6. Stresses that budget presentations for special political missions should consistently include information on actual and budgeted vacancy rates, and resource requirement changes, a clear description of the functions of new positions proposed, and organizational charts, including current and proposed posts and grade levels, and should indicate whether a position proposed reflects the resubmission of a previous request; 7. Recalls its resolutions 61/279 of 29 June 2007 and 62/250 of 20 June 2008 and section VI of its resolution 64/245 of 24 December 2009, as well as paragraph 12 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and requests the Secretary-General to conduct a thorough review of the current funding and backstopping arrangements for the special political missions with a view to identifying possible alternatives, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session; 8. Stresses the need for greater transparency in the presentation of resources for travel and consultancies under thematic cluster II so that the General Assembly may make well-informed decisions regarding the resource requirements for special political missions; 9. Takes note of paragraph 26 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and requests the Secretary-General to submit proposals for more cost-effective support arrangements for all special political missions in the context of his next report on those missions; 10. Encourages increased cooperation between and among missions operating in the same geographical location with a view to achieving efficiency and cost- effectiveness; 11. Takes note of paragraph 43 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and decides to approve the three positions for the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, as proposed by the Secretary-General; 12. Requests the Secretary-General to make additional efforts to ensure that support sought in the form of consultancies is not already available in-house or in situ; 13. Notes the intention of the Secretary-General to establish a support office in Kuwait for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, and requests the Secretary-General to explore possibilities for cost-sharing between the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the United Nations Assistance A/RES/65/259 13 Mission for Iraq and to report to the General Assembly in the context of his proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013; 14. Requests the Secretary-General to submit resource requirements for 2011 for the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi or its successor for consideration by the General Assembly at the first part of its resumed sixty-fifth session; 15. Notes that the interim funding provided for the United Nations Integrated Office should not affect the contractual conditions of the staff; 16. Approves budgets totalling 643,094,800 dollars gross (631,162,600 dollars net) for the twenty-nine special political missions authorized by the General Assembly and/or the Security Council, as listed in table 1 of the report of the Secretary-General;35 17. Decides to appropriate, under the procedure provided for in paragraph 11 of annex I to General Assembly resolution 41/213 of 19 December 1986, an amount of 200,689,200 dollars under section 3 (Political affairs) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011; 18. Also decides to appropriate an amount of 11,932,100 dollars under section 36 (Staff assessment), to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1 (Income from staff assessment) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011; XIV Revised security management framework and revised estimates under section 5 (Peacekeeping operations) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 relating to a strengthened and unified security management system for the United Nations Recalling its resolutions 64/243, 64/244 A and B and 64/245, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the revised security management framework and revised estimates under section 5 (Peacekeeping operations) of the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 relating to a strengthened and unified security management system for the United Nations,36 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,37 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;36 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,37 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; 3. Reaffirms that the Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members, and notes with concern that, during the general debate of the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, the movement of some heads of delegation on the United Nations premises was restricted, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that due protocol and equal treatment are uniformly accorded to all heads of delegation; _______________ 35 A/65/328. 36 A/65/320 and Corr.1. 37 A/65/575. A/RES/65/259 14 4. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that access for heads of delegation and their respective vehicles to the United Nations premises is not unduly restricted, in particular during the general debate; 5. Takes note of the revised framework for accountability for the United Nations security management system; 6. Reaffirms the importance of ensuring the safety and security of United Nations staff, operations and premises; 7. Also reaffirms that the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of the United Nations staff and premises rests with the host country, and emphasizes the role of the relevant host country agreements in defining this responsibility; 8. Stresses the importance of close coordination and consultation with host Governments in operationalizing the new security level system from 1 January 2011; 9. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session detailed information and analysis on the effectiveness of the new security level system within the context of the report on a comprehensive safety and security policy framework at the United Nations, which provides the basis for threat and risk assessment, cooperation with the host countries, cost-sharing arrangements and operations of the Department of Safety and Security of the Secretariat; 10. Recalls paragraph 16 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, notes that the Operational Working Group of the Steering Committee on Safety and Security of the High-level Committee on Management is examining the question of programme criticality with a view to establishing clear definitions and a clear framework for decision-making, and requests the Secretary-General to report the conclusions of the High-level Working Group on Programme Criticality to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session for consideration; 11. Decides not to approve one armoured truck for Srinagar; 12. Decides to approve the establishment, effective 1 January 2011, of one Chief Security Officer post at the P-4 level and one Security Information Assistant post at the Local level for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan under the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011; 13. Also decides to appropriate a total amount of 3,041,100 dollars, at 2010– 2011 initial rates, under the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011, comprising increases of 3,018,700 dollars under section 5 (Peacekeeping operations) and 22,400 dollars under section 36 (Staff assessment), to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1 (Income from staff assessment); XV Financial implications of the administration of justice at the United Nations Recalling its resolution 65/251 of 24 December 2010 on the administration of justice at the United Nations, 1. Decides to approve a total amount of 1,148,000 dollars, at 2010–2011 initial rates, under the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011, reflecting an A/RES/65/259 15 increase comprising 109,900 dollars under section 1 (Overall policymaking, direction and coordination), 1 million dollars under section 2 (General Assembly and Economic and Social Council affairs and conference management) and 38,100 dollars under section 28D (Office of Central Support Services); 2. Also decides that the additional amount of 1,148,000 dollars would represent a charge against the contingency fund for the biennium 2010-2011; 3. Further decides to establish one temporary P-3 position in Nairobi, effective 1 January 2011, to be funded from the budget of the support account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011, and requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly on the related costs in the context of the performance report on the support account for the period; XVI Administrative and financial implications of the decisions and recommendations contained in the report of the International Civil Service Commission for 2010 Recalling its resolution 65/248 of 24 December 2010, entitled “United Nations common system: report of the International Civil Service Commission”, 1. Takes note of the statement submitted by the Secretary-General in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly on the administrative and financial implications of the decisions and recommendations contained in the report of the International Civil Service Commission for 201038 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;39 2. Recalls paragraph 1 of section A.1 and the operative paragraphs of sections B.1 and B.3 of its resolution 65/248; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to report, in the context of the performance reports for the biennium 2010–2011, on any requirements arising from the implementation of paragraph 2 above; XVII Information and communications technology Recalling section II of its resolution 60/283 of 7 July 2006, and its resolutions 62/250 of 20 June 2008, 63/262 of 24 December 2008, 63/269 of 7 April 2009 and 64/243 of 24 December 2009, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the status of implementation of the information and communications technology strategy for the United Nations Secretariat40 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,41 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;40 _______________ 38 A/65/493. 39 A/65/532. 40 A/65/491. 41 A/65/576. A/RES/65/259 16 2. Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,41 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; 3. Underlines the importance of information and communications technology in meeting the growing demands of the Organization as it becomes increasingly reliant on its information and communications technology infrastructure; 4. Also underlines the importance of information and communications technology in strengthening oversight and accountability and in increasing the availability of accurate and timely information to support decision-making; 5. Re-emphasizes the importance of strong central leadership for the establishment and implementation of Organization-wide information and communications technology standards and activities in order to ensure the efficient utilization of resources, the modernization of information systems and improvement in the information and communications technology services available to the United Nations; 6. Recalls the mandate of the Office of Information and Communications Technology of the Secretariat, as approved in resolution 63/262; 7. Welcomes the comprehensive structural review and the presentation of an Organization-wide perspective on information and communications technology resources and the information and communications technology environment; 8. Requests the Secretary-General to review the proposals contained in his report40 and to submit new and/or revised proposals to the General Assembly in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013; 9. Also requests the Secretary-General to report on the progress made in the establishment of a secondary data centre as described in paragraph 71 of his report, including, as appropriate, financial resources proposed for its implementation, in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012–2013; 10. Further requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly more than one option for locating any other future facilities related to the information and communications technology strategy; 11. Recalls paragraph 10 (c) of section I of its resolution 63/262, and regrets that the report of the Secretary-General did not contain an in-depth assessment of the organizational arrangement of the Office of Information and Communications Technology; 12. Requests the Secretary-General to submit, for consideration by the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session, a comprehensive report on the most appropriate organizational arrangements for the Office of Information and Communications Technology, including the possibility of changing the placement of the Office within the structure of the Organization; 13. Decides not to approve any funding related to projects 1 or 2; 14. Authorizes the Secretary-General to proceed with the implementation of project 3 (rationalize information and communications technology organization), and decides that funding in the amount of 1.5 million dollars shall be provided from within the resources approved for the biennium 2010–2011 and that actual expenditure will be reported in the context of the second performance report on the programme budget for the biennium; A/RES/65/259 17 15. Recalls paragraph 101 (c) of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and decides to approve general temporary assistance equivalent to seven P-4 positions for 2011, of which five positions are to be met from within existing resources, and that actual expenditure will be reported in the context of the second performance report; 16. Decides to approve additional resources amounting to 254,166 dollars, to be appropriated as follows: (a) Regular budget: (i) An amount of 140,190 dollars, at 2010–2011 initial rates, for the biennium 2010–2011, comprising 63,390 dollars under section 29 (Office of Information and Communications Technology) and 76,800 dollars under section 28D (Office of Central Support Services), which would represent a charge against the contingency fund; (ii) An amount of 7,770 dollars under section 36 (Staff assessment), to be offset by an equivalent amount under income section 1 (Income from staff assessment); (b) Support account for peacekeeping operations: An amount of 106,206 dollars under the support account for the period from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011; and to finance an amount of 78,798 dollars from extrabudgetary resources; XVIII First performance report on the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 Having considered the first performance report of the Secretary-General on the programme budget for the biennium 2010–2011 42 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,43 Recalling its resolutions 64/244 A and B of 24 December 2009, 64/260 of 29 March 2010 and 64/288 of 24 June 2010, 1. Reaffirms the budgetary process as approved in its resolutions 41/213 of 19 December 1986 and 42/211 of 21 December 1987 and reaffirmed in subsequent resolutions; 2. Takes note of the first performance report of the Secretary-General;42 3. Endorses the observations and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,43 subject to the provisions of the present resolution; 4. Recalls section III of its resolution 60/283 as well as section III of its resolution 64/260, and requests the Secretary-General to implement their provisions and to report thereon in the context of his second performance report for the biennium 2010–2011; _______________ 42 A/65/589. 43 A/65/604. A/RES/65/259 18 5. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure that, whenever new proposals lead to requests for additional resources, including when activities are taken forward with commitment authority, sufficient efforts are made to meet the new requirements using existing resources without undermining the implementation of mandated programmes and activities; 6. Takes note of paragraph 21 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and stresses that the United Nations is a non-profit organization; 7. Approves a net decrease of 15.3 million dollars in the appropriation approved for the biennium 2010–2011 and a net increase of 26.2 million dollars in the estimates of income for the biennium, to be apportioned among expenditure and income sections as indicated in the first performance report of the Secretary- General; XIX Contingency fund Notes that a balance of 22,408,100 dollars remains in the contingency fund. 73rd plenary meeting 24 December 2010

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