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.
9月10日拉斯维加斯报道，美国电商巨头亚马逊在斥资13亿美元收购Zoox五年后，正式加入美国自动驾驶出租车竞争。迄今为止，该领域一直由Alphabet旗下的Waymo主导。 亚马逊今天在拉斯维加斯推出的Zoox自动驾驶出租车首次公开亮相，在拉斯维加斯大道拉开了帷幕，目前在几个指定地点提供免费乘车服务，并计划在未来几个月内将服务范围扩大到拉斯维加斯全市范围。Zoox表示，目前正在等待监管机构的批准。 亚马逊正在进军一个面向未来的市场，而Waymo已经在自动驾驶出租车市场中占据了显著优势，自2020年以来就已提供商业化的无人驾驶服务。今年早些时候，Waymo宣布其付费乘车次数已超过1000万次，目前该公司已在美国5个城市开展了业务，美国达拉斯、丹佛、迈阿密、西雅图和华盛顿特区将于明年陆续上线。 与此同时，电动车制造商特斯拉于今年6月在德克萨斯州奥斯汀也开始测试一项有限的自动驾驶出租车服务，但车上配备了人工监管人员。 但与 Waymo 和 Tesla 不同，Zoox 的电动 Robotaxi 并不像汽车。它没有方向盘和踏板，其矩形的外形让许多业内人士将其描述为“带轮子的烤面包机”。Zoox 联合创始人兼技术总监莱文森（Jesse Levinson）表示：“我们用 Robotaxi、车辆或…
9月10日犹他州盐湖城报道，美国保守派活动家、“美国转折点”联合创始人查理·柯克（Charlie Kirk）今天在犹他谷大学的一场活动中遭枪击身亡，享年31岁。 犹他谷大学警方表示，他们正在“逐栋楼”疏散人群。美国联邦调查局（FBI）在今晚间的一份声明中表示，其盐湖城外地办事处“立即响应”了导致柯克身亡的枪击事件。该机构表示，已“投入全部资源进行调查，包括战术、行动、调查和情报资源”。联邦调查局正在与犹他州当局合作调查这起枪击事件。 据一位大学发言人称，枪杀柯克的子弹据信是从该大学的洛西中心建筑发射的。据该校介绍，这栋建筑也被称为洛西学生成功中心，提供多项学生服务和资源，包括学术咨询、辅导服务和其他学生支持办公室。柯克被枪击时所在的位置，即犹他谷大学的中央庭院。 此外，一位执法部门消息人士称，枪手似乎是从大楼屋顶开枪的。 特朗普总统今天在“真相社交”上发帖称：“伟大的、甚至是传奇的查理·柯克去世了。没有人比查理更了解美国青年的心。他深受所有人的爱戴和敬佩，尤其是我，而现在，他已不在我们身边。梅拉尼娅和我向他美丽的妻子埃里卡和家人表示慰问。查理，我们爱你！” 柯克在犹他州奥勒姆市的学校参加一场活动时遭到袭击，这是他所在组织“美国回归之旅”的一部分。 该大学在社交媒体上发布的一份声明中表示，当地时间中午12点后不久，有人向柯克开枪，他被击中。两名执法部门消息人士告诉哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）新闻，当时只开了一枪。 事件视频显示，柯克在一场名为“证明我错了”的户外辩论会上向一大群人发表讲话，他邀请学生们挑战他的政治和文化观点，就在这时，枪声响起。 特朗普总统今天在社交媒体平台“真实社交”上发帖说：“伟大的、可谓是传奇性的查理·科克去世了。在美利坚合众国，没有人比查理更理解或拥有年轻人的心。他受到所有人的热爱与敬仰，特别是我，而如今他已经不在我们身边了。梅拉尼娅和我向他美丽的妻子艾丽卡及家人表达慰问。查理，我们爱你！” 美国联邦调查局（FBI）在社交媒体X上表示：“联邦调查局正与犹他州当地及州执法部门合作，对犹他谷大学查理·柯克枪杀案展开全面调查，并寻求正义。任何掌握该事件相关信息、照片和视频的人士，均可通过以下方式分享相关文件，帮助联邦调查局找到更多线索。” 目前嫌疑人身份尚未确定，犹州政府今天表示，对枪手的“追捕”仍在进行中。此前被捕的两人与枪击案无关，后来被释放。两党民选官员迅速谴责了针对柯克的袭击，并谴责了政治暴力行为。
9月10日旧金山报道，富国银行（Wells Fargo）银行首席执行官沙夫（Charlie Scharf ）表示，他“绝对”支持美联储的独立性，但特朗普总统可以自由表达他对央行货币政策制定方式的看法。 沙夫今天在接受美国消费者新闻与商业频道（CNBC）“财经论坛”（Squawk Box）栏目采访时表示，美联储必须保持独立，而且目前也确实保持了独立。他提到，美联储领导人的任期与总统等民选政客的任期不同。然而，他补充道，特朗普总统对利率发表意见与总统影响美联储独立性之间存在差异。 沙夫表示：“我认为政府有权就此发表意见，美联储应该根据其所看到的信息采取其认为应该采取的行动。” 沙夫表示，政客们对美联储利率决策发表意见并不是什么新鲜事，但特朗普总统“恰好非常直言不讳”。 特朗普总统曾多次呼吁美联储降低利率，并对美联储主席鲍威尔（Jerome Powell）发起了前所未有的攻击。他给鲍威尔起了个绰号叫“太晚了”(Too Late)，指的是联邦公开市场委员会自2024年12月以来一直没有降低基准利率。 今年8月，在住房金融主管普尔特（Bill Pulte）指控美联储理事库克（Lisa Cook）存在抵押贷款欺诈行为后，特朗普总统还试图解雇库克。9月9日，一名法官阻止解雇库克，与此同时，一起针对此举的诉讼仍在美国司法系统中审理。市场普遍预期美联储将在9月份会议上降息，因为最近的通胀数据低于预期，且劳动力市场出现困境迹象。 芝加哥商品交易所（CME）的美联储观察（FedWatch）目前估计，美联储降息25个基点的可能性为90%，降息50个基点的可能性为10%。…
9月10日纽约报道，一家联邦上诉法院今天维持了联邦通信委员会（FCC）对美国无线通信运营商威瑞森（Verizon）处以4690万美元罚款的判决，原因是该公司非法共享客户位置信息。 第二巡回上诉法院的3位法官组成的合议庭驳回了威瑞森公司的论点，称“涉案客户数据显然属于客户专有网络信息”。 2024年4月，联邦通信委员会对美国最大的几家无线运营商不当处理客户位置信息，处以了总计近2亿美元的罚款。 联邦通信委员会去年最终确定了最初于2020年2月提出的处罚方案，包括对威瑞森公司的罚款，以及对移动电话运营商T-Mobile的8000万美元罚款；对电信运营商斯普林特（Sprint）的1200万美元罚款，以及对美国电话电报公司（AT&T）的5700万美元罚款。 所有运营商去年均誓言要对罚款提出异议。其中，威瑞森公司支付了罚款并提起了法律诉讼。 时任联邦通信委员会主席的罗森沃塞尔 (Jessica Rosenworcel) 去年表示，运营商“将实时位置信息出售给数据聚合商，导致这些高度敏感的数据落入保释金公司、赏金猎人和其他不法分子的手中”。 此前，运营商允许将位置数据用于路边援助、物流、医疗紧急警报服务、人口贩运警报和欺诈预防等项目。 美国联邦通信委员会表示，运营商依赖基于合同的保证，即服务提供商在访问位置信息之前会征得其客户的同意。 2019年，立法者对数据聚合商能够从无线运营商那里购买用户数据，并向“各种各样的公司”以及其他方，包括赏金猎人出售“基于位置的服务”表示愤慨。 美国联邦通信委员会去年表示，即使在得知未经授权的访问后，运营商仍在未采取合理安全措施的情况下继续运营这些项目。
9月10日华盛顿报道，美国抵押贷款利率的大幅下降，最终让一些购房者放下了购房的顾虑。这也帮助更多现有美国房主节省了每月的还款。 根据美国抵押贷款银行家协会（MBA）经季节性调整后的指数，上周美国抵押贷款申请总量较前一周增长了9.2%。本周的数据已根据劳动节假期进行了调整。 符合条件的美国30年期固定利率抵押贷款（贷款余额不超过80.65万美元）的平均合同利率，已经从6.64%降至6.49%，对于首付比例为20%的贷款，包含手续费在内的点数，已经从0.59降至0.56。 该协会的一份新闻稿表示，由于数据显示劳动力市场正在走弱，美国国债收益率走低，抵押贷款利率连续第二周下降，利率下行刺激了自 2022 年以来最强劲的借款需求，购房和再融资申请均有所增加。可调利率抵押贷款（ARM）的申请数量和占比都有所回升，因为可调利率抵押贷款利率远低于通常对购房者有利的固定利率贷款。该新闻稿还指出这是自 2024 年 10 月以来的最低利率。 因此，本周房屋贷款再融资申请数量跃升 12%，比去年同期高出 34%。再融资在抵押贷款活动中占比从前一周的 46.9% 上升至总申请量的…
9月9日华盛顿报道，美国总统特朗普已要求欧盟对中国和印度征收高达100%的关税，此举皆在惩罚中印两国从俄罗斯购买的石油，以及向俄罗斯施压，迫使它们结束乌克兰战争。 据英国《金融时报》今天援引消息人士的话报道，特朗普总统是在华盛顿与美国和欧盟高级官员会面时提出该要求的，美国还准备“效仿”欧洲对中印两国征收的任何关税。 由于印度购买俄罗斯石油，美国对印度进口产品征收25%的惩罚性关税，政总关税高达50%。印度表示，这些关税“不公平、不公正、不合理”，同时对美国和欧盟与俄罗斯的贸易表示不满。 根据欧盟委员会的数据，2024年欧盟与俄罗斯的双边贸易额为675亿欧元（781亿美元），而2023年欧盟与俄罗斯的服务贸易额为172亿欧元。 印度驻莫斯科大使馆的数据显示，截至2025年3月，印度与俄罗斯的双边贸易额达到创纪录的687亿美元，几乎是疫情前101亿美元贸易额的5.8倍。 中国则是俄罗斯石油的最大买家，在与美国达成关税暂停协议前，美将对俄罗斯产品征收的新关税降至30%后，迄今为止美国一直对中国免于征收“二次”关税。 特朗普总统提出该提议之际，他上个月在阿拉斯加与俄罗斯总统普京会晤，但双方在乌克兰停火方面进展甚微。会晤结束后，普京总统在与特朗普总统举行的联合新闻发布会上告诉记者，为了实现持久和平，必须解决冲突的“根本原因”。 特朗普总统在普京总统上个月发表讲话后表示：“我们在很多很多问题上达成了一致……我想说，有几个重要的问题我们还没有完全达成，但我们已经取得了一些进展。” 尽管华盛顿斡旋俄罗斯与乌克兰达成和平协议的努力已无果，但普京总统似乎在上周在中国上海合作组织会晤期间，巩固了他与中国国家主席习近平和印度总理莫迪的关系。 特朗普总统今天晚间在美国社交媒体X上发帖称，美国和印度已重启贸易谈判，以解决贸易壁垒问题。特朗普总统还表示莫迪是“非常好的朋友”，并表示“确信谈判取得成功不会有任何困难”。 美国与中国的关税谈判似乎难以取得突破，中国首席贸易谈判代表李成刚8月底曾访问美国，但美中两国贸易关税谈判进展甚微。