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At UN, Ban's Budget Add-Ons Top $1.1 Billion, Criticism of Political Missions and Mandate "Alignment"

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, March 27 -- The UN budget committee has been asked for over $1.1 billion in "add-ons" to the over $4 billion budget adopted in December, a document obtained by Inner City Press shows.  This includes $56 million for a new computer system, $100 million to construct a new UN building in Baghdad, and $1.5 million for "accountability / results-based management." According to the document, which Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson is quick to point out is only a proposal, an additional $184 million would be spent on the UN's so-called Capital Master rehabilitation plan, $6.8 million would be devoted to a controversial conference in Durban, and over $100 million would be to off set currency miscalculations.

            On March 25, Inner City Press asked spokesperson Michele Montas if the "budget add-ons that the Secretariat has requested are $1.1 billion, a 25 per cent increase over the previous budget...when the presentation was made, there was only about a 2 per cent increase, how does the Secretary-General explain this over $1 billion additional request?"

            Two hours after the briefing, the Spokesperson's Office responded

"in fact, the Secretariat has only provided a projection of how financing needs would evolve, if the Member States were to support a wide range of political missions and management reform proposals currently on the table. However, that projection is not the final amount, since this is a consultative process and its ultimate outcome will be determined by the Member States at large in the General Assembly, and not by the Secretariat. Also, the costs for special political missions, including Iraq and Afghanistan, cannot in any sense be considered 'administrative costs.'"

            But what about the computer / "enterprise systems" in the UN's list?


Purloigned UN budget document -- no fingerprints

    The largest chunk of the add-ons concerns Special Political Missions. One of these, for Nepal, was slashed by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, which for example stated of "a position... proposed in the Medical Section for a Medical Officer" that "in view of the lateness of the proposal and the plan to maintain the operational level of the Mission only until the end of July 2008, the Committee recommends against approval of this post. The functions should be provided for from within existing capacity." The same could be said of many of the proposed add-ons.

            One post elimination which continues to cause trouble for the Ban administration was putting the Office of the Special Adviser for Africa together with under mandates, including that of Small Island Developing States. After Ban's spokesperson for days said the Group of 77's protest letter had not been received, on Thursday the following exchange occurred:

Inner City Press: this G-77 letter I've been asking about.  Has it now been received and, in that case, what is the Secretariat’s thinking about having two different Under-Secretaries-General for Africa and for Small Island States?

Spokesperson:  I can confirm now that the letter of the G-77 has been received and, as you say, it's on the alignment of the two offices, the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries with that of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, under one Under-Secretary-General.  I have to say that the letter from Ambassador Ashe, chair of the Group, asked for another meeting with the Secretary-General.  I will say that the Secretary-General is always open to further discussions with the Group, but I would like to point out, however, that his decision to appoint Chiekh Sidi Diarra as head of both programs was made in prior intensive consultations with the African Group, who agreed with that decision.  And the Secretary-General certainly never intended to undermine the General Assembly on this matter.  There were extensive consultations with the African Group and they all agreed.

Inner City Press: I think part of the letter, the G-77 also represents these Small Island Developing States and some of them are now saying the merger doesn't serve their interests or their issues.

Spokesperson:  It is not a merger.  Each program is autonomous and continues.  The only difference is that you have one person who is taking care of both, one Under-Secretary-General.  So I don’t think it’s changing the programs as they are.  In fact, the money that was to be used for a second Under-Secretary-General is going to be put back into the programs themselves.  So I think it can benefit both programs.

Inner City Press: Do you know if he met with States, such as Bangladesh, for example, that was instrumental in setting up the small island part of the thing that got put together.  In any case, did he only meet with the African Group about this or did he try to meet with both sides of the things that were being considered?

Spokesperson:  He did meet with a number of people on these issues from the Group of 77.  If they need further discussion with the Secretary-General, I'm sure the Secretary-General is open.

            But, as to another now-outgoing member of Team Ban, we've heard that before.

Watch this site.

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These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

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