UNITED NATIONS, New York, Oct 13 – Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), in New York today:
I welcome this opportunity to introduce the proposed programme budget for 2022. The context for this presentation remains a world upended by the COVID‑19 pandemic. The pandemic has revealed fractures in our societies, inadequate health care, gaps in social protection, structural inequalities and massive shortcomings in financing and global solidarity.
But times of crisis can also bring out the best — and show what is possible when we work together. Around the world — and thanks to your support and engagement — the United Nations has stayed and delivered.
We helped the world respond to the immediate effects of the pandemic, from the health response to its devastating socioeconomic impacts. We delivered medical, food and humanitarian supplies, provided electoral assistance, undertook mediation efforts and led and supported peace talks.
We called for a global ceasefire, and appealed for action to address the alarming rise in domestic violence that has accompanied the pandemic. We protected and spoke up in defence of the human rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized.
We did all of this complex and wide‑ranging work while navigating a serious liquidity crisis. And throughout, our reforms remained on course. We are well into the third year of implementation and the benefits are visible.
The COVID‑19 pandemic was an early test of our reforms, which enabled us to adjust our business operations and respond quickly to the needs of countries. Unlike in past emergencies, the Secretariat did not need to create new structures to manage the response. The new reform structures in development, peace and security, and management already in place facilitated a unified and agile response to the pandemic, saving time and money.
In a matter of months, United Nations country teams rolled out 121 socioeconomic response plans covering 139 countries and territories. More than $3 billion was repurposed, and an additional $2 billion was mobilized, to prioritize immediate support.
According to independent surveys, over 90 per cent of Governments in developing countries agree that Resident Coordinators helped ensure a coherent United Nations response to the pandemic.
And our ongoing reforms are yielding results. Ninety‑one per cent of host Governments indicated that the United Nations today is more relevant to their country’s development needs when compared to three years ago. Ninety‑two per cent felt that the new cooperation frameworks have enabled them to address effectively and respond to national priorities. And more than 80 per cent of Governments confirmed we were successful in targeting at‑risk groups, those most hurt by this crisis.
The Resident Coordinators are now drawing on assets across the three pillars to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The peace and security reforms have allowed us to begin implementing comprehensive regional strategies, leading to greater harmonization of action with regional and subregional organizations and other stakeholders. There is now a single point of contact for peacekeeping and special political missions operating in the same region, with distinct but complementary mandates. A strengthened Peacebuilding Support Office now serves as a dedicated “hinge” with the development pillar.
Management reform has brought substantial changes in structures, accountability, delegation and internal operations. These have been critical to sustain business continuity during the pandemic.
The reforms enabled us to quickly adjust policies and procedures to accommodate the new realities on the ground; at the same time, we had dedicated capacities that could focus on key areas of concern, such as health and supply chain management.
The new division of labour between strategic and policy functions and operational functions has proven especially useful. Dedicated resources for policy were quickly able to adjust frameworks for new remote working arrangements and other policies, while the Department of Operational Support was able to provide dedicated service to all entities in the United Nations Secretariat.
In human resources, affected policy and guidance were revised and published quickly in consultation with key stakeholders to adjust to the situation on the ground. Additionally, the Department of Operational Support created a dedicated way to respond to urgent COVID‑19 queries in less than one business day.
A system-wide medevac system was established and managed by the Secretariat. And we rolled out a programme to vaccinate personnel in countries where the local health systems could not provide vaccines to our personnel. This ensured that the United Nations system was able to support countries and communities with their response efforts to the pandemic. This unprecedented operational collaboration with the wider system was made possible by our reforms.
The end-to-end supply chain structures enabled the Secretariat to act more nimbly. Emergency procurement procedures were activated. Personal protective equipment and medical equipment were successfully sourced and supplied to duty stations in need. Decentralized procurement authority was raised to allow for more local procurement of critical goods and services. The enhanced delegations of authority have provided critically needed operational responsiveness and flexibility on the ground.
Meanwhile, a unified information technology structure allowed us to jointly utilize corporate tools for communications and remote working arrangements. Our main communication tools are now also accessible system‑wide, allowing us to coordinate our response efforts with the funds, programmes and specialized agencies.
We have also continued to strengthen our internal control framework. I signed the Secretariat’s first Statement of Internal Control earlier this year, marking an important milestone towards achieving greater accountability. The Statement provides assurance to Member States that Secretariat‑wide mandated activities are being implemented effectively and efficiently; that financial reporting is reliable and compliant with International Public Sector Accounting Standards; and that regulations, rules and procedures adhere to the regulatory framework.
More work on our reforms remains, and we will increase our efforts to improve effectiveness and better support Member States. But one year on, I am proud that our reforms have allowed us not only to respond quickly and effectively to the challenges of an unprecedented global pandemic, but also enabled us to survive one of the worst financial crises in more than a decade.
The programme budget I am presenting today is the third since Member States approved, on a trial basis, the biggest change in our planning and budgeting processes in decades. The move from a biennial programme budget to an annual exercise is a major step towards more realistic budgeting and a greater focus on results.
It has improved the accuracy of our resource estimates, enabled us to adapt more quickly to changes in mandates and allowed us to adjust our planning based on actual programme performance, thereby improving mandate delivery and accountability for results.
The annual cycle also provides Member States with an opportunity to give more frequent direction on resource allocations for the Organization, and to align those decisions with recent or sudden events, such as the global pandemic.
We are now able to adjust our programme planning and incorporate lessons from the response to the pandemic into the budget for 2022. If we still lived with biennial budgets, such steps would have had to wait until 2024‑2025.
Last year, I indicated that this reform would be an ongoing process, and that I looked forward to receiving your guidance on any areas that we can improve further. The document before you reflects that guidance. One such improvement is the inclusion of more than 1,000 examples of the benefits that the United Nations helps to bring about through its global operations.
While change always poses challenges, positive signals continue to be received from all stakeholders. Both of your advisory committees have shifted their attention away from the presentation format of the budgets, hence allowing more focus on resource and programmatic discussions. I am encouraged by the positive reactions and the momentum the annual budget is generating towards a more results‑oriented culture.
As part of this new culture, more than 1,000 programme managers continue to engage in the formulation of planning and budget proposals, assessing their work and performance. In Part A of the document, we are now reporting on the performance of our programmes in 2020. In instances where our performance fell short, we make adjustments to ensure better results in 2022, not 2024‑2025.
The annual programme budget includes a multi‑year account of measurable results. This year’s budget includes measurable planned results for 2021 and 2022, and measurable actual results in 2018, 2019 and 2020 for each of the 350 result frameworks. This offers a comprehensive picture of our programme delivery over the past three years.
The Secretariat’s self‑evaluation policy took effect this year. Every department and office are now required to undertake at least one evaluation a year and report the results through the budget process. The Office of Internal Oversight Services and the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance are collaborating on providing training and support to all programme managers and evaluation focal points. These efforts will instil a culture of learning whereby programme managers will continuously assess performance to improve on programme delivery.
Two years ago, when I introduced the 2020 budget, you requested me to provide greater access to electronic information on the budget. I am happy to report that we have now provided two sets of electronic information.
First, the “results.un.org” portal provides information on the programmatic results. You can filter those results not only by programme and subprogramme, but also by type of result and geographical location, with hyperlinks to the document for more detailed information.
Second, the Umoja Budget Information Pilot provides detailed resource information to the Committee, including monthly updates of expenditures and liquidity ratios.
Working closely with you, we will continue to improve access to information as part of my efforts to increase transparency in the Organization.
Let me turn now to Part B of the proposed programme budget: post and non‑post resource requirements for 2022. The presentation format for this part has taken on board previous recommendations made by the Advisory Committee.
To fully implement the mandates entrusted to us, we will require a total of $3.12 billion before recosting, which represents a net reduction of 2.8 per cent compared to 2021, despite additional activities and mandates. This includes a total of 10,005 posts, or a net increase of 46 posts.
I would like to highlight four key drivers:
First, strengthening the development pillar. The proposals include an increase of $2.8 million for development, including for our programmes in support of Africa’s development and landlocked countries and small island developing States. I am again seeking an increase in the level of the Regular Programme for Technical Cooperation to support capacity development in Member States. This will be the third increase during my tenure.
Second, strengthening support for human rights. The proposal includes the conversion of 16 general temporary positions into professional posts, and $4.4 million to implement resolutions and decisions of the Human Rights Council.
Third, supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the face of its chronic funding gap. We are proposing an increase of $6.1 million, including 43 additional posts to support education, health care and general assistance to Palestine refugees.
Fourth, investing in infrastructure and resilience. The budget proposal includes $6.3 million for upgrading the ageing security infrastructure of our premises, as well as adapting our security posture to emerging threats and improving accessibility.
While further new legislative mandates may emerge in the coming months, at this stage estimates amounting to approximately $37 million in response to new resolutions from the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and the Human Rights Council are expected.
Another $22 million may be needed for recently expanded Security Council mandates of special political missions in Colombia and Sudan, followed by yet to be determined additional requirements for the mission in Libya.
Approximately $95 million is required for construction, including $69 million for the Strategic Heritage Plan in Geneva. Subvention requests for the courts of Cambodia, Sierra Leone and Lebanon are expected to amount to approximately $19 million.
The budget proposals were constructed on the assumption that the trajectory of the pandemic response, and the development and deployment of vaccines, would allow a return to normalcy, albeit a new normal, in 2022. Recent surges in COVID‑19 cases and multiple waves of differing intensity around the world suggest a need to remain flexible with our plans and delivery modalities. I am confident in our ability to continue to adapt to the changes that we may face.
Indeed, the Organization responded quickly and well to the sudden onset of the pandemic, even as we reached – hopefully – the peak of a financial liquidity crisis, with yet another record for arrears in contributions, exacerbated by increasing fluctuations in payment patterns.
Only through exercising careful control over our fiscal expenditure were we able to minimize the inevitable negative impact on programme delivery. Our cash management efforts also allowed us to adjust our expenditure to undertake life‑saving medical evacuations and procure and distribute core medical supplies and equipment. This allowed United Nations personnel to stay and deliver across the world.
The year 2021 started poorly, with collections in the first quarter trailing estimates by nearly $199 million, added to the $808 million in arrears with which we started the year. We responded to this emerging crisis less drastically than last year, primarily due to assurances from many Member States about their plans to pay their contributions. We saw indeed a record collection in April of $1 billion, bringing the total for the year to 76 per cent of the year’s assessment. This is also a record for early collection.
However, this should not lull us into complacency. The overall total masks numerous fluctuations in collections each month, pointing to the challenges of planning budget implementation with such uncertainties.
Our fair-weather regulatory framework leaves much to be desired, and it is my hope that Member States will see the need for full and predictable funding so that we can focus on the delivery of our mandates guided by the budgets and not by cash on hand.
The recent more positive indications have allowed us to lift most of the temporary cash‑management measures. I have asked senior managers to ensure that they advance gender parity and strive for more equitable geographical representation when they fill vacant posts. While we have reached gender parity in senior management two years ahead of our target, we have to increase efforts across the rest of the Secretariat.
Similarly, we have to increase efforts to recruit more from unrepresented and underrepresented countries for geographical posts, and from a wider geographical base for the rest of the posts. Our staff have to better reflect the international character, I would say the universal character, of our Organization.
I look forward to your support for my budget proposals for 2022, as we prepare to better serve the world in its new year of need.
I am available to answer your questions, and my senior managers will continue their interactions with you as you deliberate on these proposals.
3月18日芝加哥报道，伊利诺伊州副州长斯特拉顿（Juliana Stratton）在3月17日竞争激烈的民主党参议员初选中获胜。如果斯特拉顿还能赢得今年11月中期选举，她将成为美国历史上第6位黑人女参议员，也将意味着美国参议院将首次同时有3位黑人女议员，她就可能与马里兰州参议员奥尔索布鲁克斯（Angela Alsobrooks）和特拉华州参议员罗切斯特（Blunt Rochester）并肩。 此外，伊利诺伊州还将成为唯一一个向美国参议院输送2位有色人种女性的州。该州另一位女参议员是现年58岁的泰裔美国人达克沃斯（Tammy Duckworth），她的母亲是祖籍广东潮州揭阳的泰国华裔。 现年60岁的斯特拉顿今天表示：“3位黑人女参议员意味着，在政策制定和立法过程中，我们社区的声音能够得到充分的体现，这让我们有更多机会确保这一过程。” 美国国会黑人议员团的一些成员在初选期间曾表示担忧，认为斯特拉顿和同样是黑人的众议员凯利（Robin Kelly）可能会分散黑人选票。 民主党党团曾支持现任成员凯利；党团主席、纽约州民主党众议员克拉克（Yvette Clarke）此前还曾批评过州长普里茨克（JB Pritzker）支持斯特拉顿。 但该党团今天的语气有所缓和，克拉克在一份声明中写道：“这对伊利诺伊州和整个国家来说都是一个需要团结的重要时刻，我期待斯特拉顿在11月赢得选举，并欢迎她加入国会黑人党团。” 斯特拉顿的胜选在某种程度上也可能表明，在特朗普总统第二任期的这个阶段，距离2026年中期选举仅剩几个月之际，民主党选民的期待是什么。 尽管美国参议院初选的所有领先候选人都发表了反特朗普言论，并承诺与特朗普政府对抗，斯特拉顿和她的竞选团队甚至发布了一则广告，该广告中的选民和亚裔美国人议员达克沃斯高喊着“去他妈的特朗普，投票给斯特拉顿”。该广告的删减版已经在电视上播出。…
3月18日德黑兰报道，以色列今天空袭了伊朗位于南帕尔斯（South Pars）的世界最大天然气田，伊朗誓言将对海湾地区的能源设施进行报复性打击，这预示着海湾地区能源设施将迎来新一轮袭击。 伊朗中央军方警告称，将对此次袭击做出严厉回应，遇袭的该天然气田由伊朗和卡塔尔共同运营。伊朗特别警告沙特阿拉伯、阿联酋和卡塔尔的平民撤离能源设施。 伊朗国家媒体声称，伊朗将向以色列、美国及其中东盟友发射大量高超音速导弹，并称之为真主的惩罚。伊朗特别警告沙特、阿联酋和卡塔尔的平民撤离能源设施。伊朗国家媒体还报道称，其位于阿萨鲁耶炼油厂的天然气田部分也遭到袭击。 袭击发生后，布伦特原油期货价格飙升至每桶近109美元，此前今天开盘价约为每桶101美元。美国股市早盘也出现下跌。 卡塔尔强烈谴责此次空袭是蓄意袭击，卡塔尔外交部发言人安萨里（Majed Al Ansari）表示：“以色列袭击与伊朗南帕尔斯油田（卡塔尔北油田的延伸部分）相关的设施，是在当前地区军事局势升级的背景下，一个危险且不负责任的举动。” 卡塔尔位于伊朗负责管理的南帕尔斯气田一半天然气产量的北方气田综合设施遭到破坏。 据伊朗法尔斯通讯社报道，阿萨鲁耶炼油厂的储气罐和作业区受到的影响尤为严重。 据报道，此次袭击导致该气田两座炼油厂的生产基本停止，这两座炼油厂通常每天生产约1亿立方米天然气。目前尚不清楚损失的严重程度，但迄今为止尚未有人员伤亡报告。 尽管特朗普政府此前曾反对袭击伊朗石油设施，但以色列官员称，对南帕尔斯油田的袭击是与美国协调进行的。
3月18日华盛顿报道，美国劳工统计局今天公布的数据显示，生产者价格指数（PPI）经季节性调整后环比上涨0.7%。该指数衡量的是生产者为其产品支付的管道成本。剔除波动较大的食品和能源价格后，所谓的核心PPI上涨了0.5%。 数据显示，美国2月份批发价格大幅上涨，再次表明即使不考虑能源价格上涨，通胀仍在持续。 道琼斯调查的经济学家此前预计这两个指标的涨幅均为0.3%。美国所有商品价格指数的涨幅高于1月份的0.5%。然而，核心生产者价格指数的涨幅低于上月的0.8%。 根据美国劳工统计局的数据，过去12个月的总体生产者价格指数通胀率为3.4%，为2025年2月以来的最高水平，而核心生产者价格指数为3.9%。美联储的通胀目标为2%。 受此消息影响，美国股指期货下跌，而国债收益率走高。期货交易员将美联储下一次降息的预期推迟到至少12月。 生产者价格指数飙升的主要原因是服务成本上涨0.5%，这显然是美联储所不愿看到的。政策制定者将近期通胀飙升的主要原因归咎于关税，而关税对服务业的影响并不显著。作为生产者价格指数衡量指标中服务成本的关键驱动因素，美国投资组合管理费在2月份上涨了1%。同样，美国证券经纪、交易、投资咨询及相关服务的价格也上涨了4.2%。 商品价格环比上涨1.1%。食品价格上涨2.4%，能源价格上涨2.3%。在食品中，新鲜和干蔬菜的价格指数飙升了48.9%。 该报告表明，通胀压力依然存在，尤其是在服务业方面，这使得美联储在权衡维持高利率的时间时更加难以抉择。 这份报告发布之际，正值美国和以色列持续对伊朗进行空袭，以及伊朗坚持对美国和以色列，以及中东地区国家进行导弹和无人机报复打击，中东战争局势升级加剧，致使通胀担忧情绪日益高涨。美国和以色列持续打击伊朗境内目标，还导致了世界范围能源价格飙升。随着冲突的持续，油价已在每桶100美元左右徘徊，今年迄今已上涨超过70%。 迄今为止，虽然美国所有通胀数据还未及时反映出美伊战争所带来的物价上涨。但数据显示，即使在美伊战争之前，通胀问题也已存在。上周的一份报告显示，美国2月份消费者价格指数（CPI）上涨了2.4%。此外，美国商务部表示，其美联储用作预测工具的主要通胀指标核心通胀率为3.1%，总体通胀率为2.8%。 美联储将于今天晚些时候公布最新的利率决议。市场参与者几乎可以肯定，美联储将投票维持隔夜基准利率在3.5%-3.75%的区间不变，该利率自2025年12月上次降息以来一直维持在该区间。
3月17日德黑兰报道，伊朗今天加大了对美国在中东和以色列境内目标的袭击力度，对伊朗国家安全委员会（SNSC）主席拉里贾尼（Ali Larijani）昨夜遇害进行报复。这场自2月28日以色列和美国对伊朗先发制人的“史诗狂怒行动”战火在持续数周后，至今仍未见任何缓和迹象。 据伊朗半官方通讯社法尔斯（Fars）报道，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）今天表示，其导弹已击中以色列境内100多个军事和安全目标，以“报复”拉里贾尼及其子和助手的遇害。 据报道，伊朗最高国家安全委员会（SNSC）已确认拉里贾尼及其子莫尔特扎（Morteza Larijani）、办公室主任巴亚特（Alireza Bayat）以及数名警卫的丧生。 伊朗外长阿拉格奇（Abbas Araghchi）今晚在接受半岛电视台采访时表示，美国和以色列尚未意识到，伊朗政府并非依靠任何个人。阿拉格奇强调说：“单个人的存在与否不会影响这种结构。” 伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队对特拉维夫和以色列中部地区发动了无人机和导弹联合袭击。以色列应急人员今天早些时候确认，伊朗导弹袭击已经造成特拉维夫附近2人死亡。 据路透社报道，伊朗还向美国驻巴格达大使馆发射了数架爆炸性无人机，该使馆附近传出了爆炸声。另据澳大利亚总理阿尔巴尼斯（Abbas Araghchi）称，伊朗还向阿联酋境内的一个澳大利亚空军基地附近发射了一枚炮弹，所幸无人受伤。 此前，以色列在3月16日对伊朗发动的空袭中炸死了伊朗国家安全委员会主席拉里贾尼和伊朗民兵组织领导人苏莱曼尼。 自2月28日美国和以色列袭击伊朗以来，中东地区的敌对行动持续蔓延，没有丝毫缓和迹象。据路透社报道，今天上午卡塔尔首都多哈也传出了爆炸声。 有分析人士表示，伊朗的此类报复性军事升级行动将“阻止特朗普宣布胜利……并鼓励美国及其盟友继续推进行动，以期彻底推翻伊朗政权并消除其构成的威胁”。 美国和以色列对伊朗的袭击目标已扩大到银行和金融基础设施，此举可能引发抗议及报复行动，并加剧该国的动荡。据报道，上周美国和以色列军队袭击了与伊朗军方有联系的塞帕银行（Sepah…
3月17日华盛顿报道，美国联邦法官兰伯斯(Royce C. Lamberth)今天下令特朗普政府恢复美国之音（VOA）的运营。此前，美国之音的大部分业务实际上已于一年前关闭。此举将数百名此前处于行政休假状态的员工重新召回工作岗位。 兰伯斯责令美国全球媒体署(USAGM)在一周内制定恢复其旗下的美国之音播出的计划。自特朗普总统发布行政命令关闭该机构以来，美国之音一直以最低限度的员工维持运转。 一周前，兰伯斯法官指出，特朗普总统提名的美国全球媒体署署长莱克(Kari Lake)没有法律授权在美国之音采取行动，因为她没有获得美国参议院的确认，并在3月16日的裁决书中，对莱克响应特朗普总统命令所采取的行动作出了裁决。 兰伯斯法官推翻了特朗普政府裁减美国之音1147名员工中的1042名，以及将运营规模缩减至美国国会规定的“法定最低限度”的举措，此举迫使美国之音大幅削减了其节目内容。 兰伯斯法官称，这些举措“武断且反复无常”，并表示政府没有考虑到联邦法律对美国之音必须服务的语言和地区的规定。 兰伯斯法官写道：“被告方未能为其决定提供任何接近原则性的依据。” 美国全球媒体署署长莱克曾公开谴责兰伯斯此前于3月7日的裁决，并表示将提起上诉。此后，特朗普总统提名负责公共外交的副国务卿罗杰斯（Sarah Rogers）执掌美国全球媒体署，该任命仍需经美国参议院批准，而莱克的任命也并未获得美国参议院批准。 美国之音白宫分社社长维达库斯瓦拉（Patsy Widakuswara）是恢复美国之音运营诉讼案的原告之一，她表示对这一决定深表感激。 维达库斯瓦拉说：“我们渴望开始修复莱克对我们机构和同事造成的损害，重返国会授权的岗位，并重建过去一年来我们无法服务的全球受众的信任。” 维达库斯瓦拉还说：“我们知道，恢复美国之音的运营和声誉将是一条漫长而艰难的道路。我们希望美国人民继续支持我们秉持新闻报道而非宣传的使命。”…
3月17日华盛顿报道，美国参议院共和党人今天成功发起了一场“占据议事厅”的行动，旨在迫使参议院民主党人公开表态反对，此举旨在推动由特朗普总统支持的保障美国选民资格法案“拯救美国法案”(Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act)获得通过。 这场将持续数日的马拉松式法案辩论，遭到一名来自阿拉斯加州的共和党参议员穆尔科夫斯基（Lisa Murkowski）联手与全体参议院民主党人的阻挠。此外，曾扬言将竭尽全力阻挠该法案的北卡罗来纳州共和党参议员蒂利斯（Thom Tillis)，则并未参与投票。 共和党人所发起的“占据议事厅”的行动，旨在试图将其从共和党内部围绕保障美国选民资格法案“拯救美国法案”所产生的内部分歧上移开，转而投向参议院民主党人，毕竟正是民主党人最终扣留了通过该法案所需的关键票数。 美国参议院少数党领袖、来自纽约州的民主党人舒默（Chuck Schumer）在参议院议事厅内强调说：“没有一位民主党人会支持’拯救美国法案’。这是一项极端的法案，如果共和党人试图在议事厅内就这项立法进行拖延，我们将不惜一切代价、奉陪到底。” 这也标志着针对南达科他州共和党籍参议院多数党领袖图恩（John Thune）的一场施压行动达到了高潮，这场施压行动汇聚了特朗普总统、其党团内部的保守派人士，以及一场旨在推动该法案进入参院辩论环节的声势浩大的网络运动。…