Intervention by the Permanent Representative of El Salvador, Ambassador Rubén Armando Escalante Hasbun.

October 9

Madame Chair,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Our Community would like to congratulate you and the other members of the Bureau on your election. We trust that under your leadership, we will conclude this session in a timely manner. You as well asall Bureau members can count on our Community’s support for the successful conclusion of the work ahead of us, according to the established schedule.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Carlos Ruiz-Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and the rest of the Members, for their invaluable assistance to our work. We also take this opportunity to reiterate our deep gratitude to Ms. Sharon van Buerle and her team in the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee for their hard work to support the work of this Committee. Our work would not be possible without them.

Madame Chair,

The proposed programme of work includes issues of great importance for CELAC, such as:the scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations, and the scale of assessments for the apportionment of peacekeeping expenses, the first performance report, human resource management, construction projects in Africa, Santiago, and Bangkok, the revised estimates of UNDS reform, amongst others. CELAC members will actively participate in the consideration of these items to try and achieve consensus.

Madame Chair,

CELAC wishes to emphasize the importance of respecting the date of completion of this session. For the past few sessions now, Member States have proved that no matter how complex the issues are, if there is political will, we can find a consensual outcome.

Our Community would also like to reiterate the importance of receiving the reports from the Secretary General and the ACABQ in all official languages in a timely manner and in line with the rules of procedure of this committee. The late issuance of reports continues to hamper the effective work of this Committee, and it is past time to change this trend.

In conclusion, CELAC reiterates its commitment to collaborate on all agenda items and to actively and constructively engage in formal and informal negotiations. We are certain that, under your leadership, negotiations will remain transparent and inclusive and lead to a satisfactory conclusion for the Organization and all Member States.

Thank you, Madame Chair.