STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA
BY MR. SEBASTIÁN DI LUCA, PERMANENT MISSION OF ARGENTINA TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 134: PROPOSED PROGRAMME BUDGET FOR THE BIENNIUM 2012-2013, AT THE FIFTH COMMITTEE DURING THE MAIN PART OF SIXTY-SIXTH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Mr. Chairman,
1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on this agenda item.
2. The Group of 77 and China would like to thank Mr. Yohannes Huismann, the Director of budget, for the introduction of the reports of the Secretary-General contained in documents A/66/393, A/66/510, and A/66/170, all under this agenda item. The Group would also like to thank the Mr. Collen V. Kelapile, Chairman of the ACABQ, for introducing the related reports of the Advisory Committee

Mr. Chairman,
3. The Group of 77 and China welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the revised estimates relating to strengthening of the Office of the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. The Group welcomes the appointment of Ms. Zahre-Work Zewde of Ethiopia as the Director-General of UNON effective 1st May 2011. The appointment was made pursuant to resolution 64/243 in which the General Assembly decided to create a dedicated post of Director-General at Under-Secretary-General level at UNON. We note that the Secretary-General has provided sufficient explanation on why it was not possible to include the resources sought in the current report in the initial report on the Proposed Programme Budget for 2012-2013. The Group strongly supports the strengthening of UNON, and in this regard supports the current proposals to strengthen the office of the Director-General at UNON.

Mr. Chairman,
4. The Group of 77 and China stresses the importance of providing the necessary resources to finance all decisions of intergovernmental organs of the Organization in the field of social and economic development. In this regard, the Group believes that adequate resources must be provided to fund the resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at its substantive session of 2011. We also wish to underline the role of the Committee on Programme and Coordination, as the main subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and ECOSOC for planning, programming and coordination, in reviewing the programmatic changes to the programme budget.
5. The Group of 77 and China notes the request for the subvention to the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). The Group expresses its appreciation to the useful work carried out by the Institute and supports the approval of the total amount of 577,800 US dollars, before recosting, for UNIDIR from the regular budget for the biennium 2012-2013.

Mr. Chairman,
6. In conclusion, I wish to assure you of the readiness of the Group of 77 and China to engage in open, transparent and inclusive negotiations on this very important agenda item.
I thank you.