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.
6月18日伊朗德黑兰讯，美国中东问题专家、匿名博客“摩苏尔之眼”（Mosul Eye）的创办者（Omar Mohammed）今天警告称，伊朗最高领袖莫杰塔巴·哈梅内伊（Mojtaba Khamenei）在谅解备忘录（MOU）签署后发表的声明强调，伊朗方面并不支持与美国实现和平。 穆罕默德也是乔治华盛顿大学极端主义项目下“反犹太主义研究倡议”的负责人他今天在媒体福克斯新闻数字频道（Fox News Digital）上表示：“哈梅内伊并不支持与美国和平相处。他批准的是一次战术性暂停，旨在保护‘抵抗阵线’，将责任转嫁给民选政府，并维持长期对抗的意识形态框架。” 穆罕默德指出，在与美国这场“无休止战争”进入“新阶段”之际，哈梅内伊此举实际上只是在“批准一次战术性暂停”。 穆罕默德还推测，伊朗当局可能只是借用他的名义发声，以营造一种政策延续的形象。 穆罕默德认为：“‘抵抗阵线’这一措辞是关键所在。德黑兰的意思是，与华盛顿达成的任何协议都必须保留伊朗从黎巴嫩到也门所利用的武装网络。这不是和解的语言，而是旨在确保政权生存的语言。” 穆罕默德指出，哈梅内伊在声明中强调“未来的谈判并不意味着接受敌方的立场”，这一点至关重要。 穆罕默德认为，这向伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）、伊朗的代理人以及国内强硬派基本盘传达了一个信号：这不是‘关系正常化’，而仅仅是一次‘暂停’。” 穆罕默德警告说：“对于这份声明，我们需要审慎解读。这看起来并不像是一位领导人亲自撰写的感言； “这看起来像是一份精心构思的政权文件，旨在同时向伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）、伊朗的代理人、伊朗公众、现任政府以及华盛顿传递信息。” 穆罕默德称：“如果这份信息是由莫杰塔巴（Mojtaba）亲自指导发布的，那就表明他能够接触到国家层面的核心机密档案，并且正在统筹管理总统府、国家安全委员会、伊斯兰革命卫队以及代理人网络。如果并非由他主导，那么安全机构可能是借他的名义发声，以展示政权的延续性。”…
6月18日华盛顿讯，美国总统特朗普今天在白宫出席荣誉勋章颁授仪式，向两名越战老兵和一名阿富汗战争老兵颁发了荣誉荣誉勋章。 在白宫举行的荣誉勋章颁授仪式上，特朗普总统向退役海军陆战队少校吉姆·卡珀斯（Jim Capers Jr.)、退役陆军少校尼古拉斯·多克里（Nicholas Dockery)，以及已于2008年去世的海军陆战队上校约翰·里普利（John Ripley）致以敬意。 出席荣誉勋章颁授仪式的包括美国战争部长皮特·海格塞斯（Pete Hegseth)、美国驻联合国大使迈克·沃尔兹（Mike Waltz)，以及南卡罗来纳州共和党参议员林赛·格雷厄姆（Lindsey Graham)。 据白宫介绍，现年88岁的卡珀斯曾于1967年3月和4月在越南参与了一次为期4天的侦察巡逻任务。在巡逻的最后一天，他所在的营遭遇了克莱莫（Claymore）定向地雷伏击并受到敌方猛烈火力攻击，期间他身中数弹。 特朗普总统在授勋仪式上说道：“他的身体多处被弹片击中，伤口多达17处……他所有的海军陆战队战友都负伤倒地，但吉姆却站了起来，拖着一条本已无法支撑身体重量的伤腿继续向前推进。在注射了一剂吗啡后，吉姆接过了战斗的指挥权。” 卡珀斯成功带领小队抵达撤离点；在所有队员安全登上救援直升机之前，他拒绝先行撤离。 特朗普总统说：“当直升机因承载全队人员——人数严重超载——而发出不堪重负的轰鸣声时，他试图走下飞机，但队员们硬是拦住了他，坚决不肯丢下他们的指挥官。” 据白宫介绍，1972年4月，时任南越军队顾问的里普利成功阻击了北越军队的一次进攻。当时，北越军队正向南推进，试图夺取东河（Dong…
6月18日芝加哥讯，今天在芝加哥举行的奥巴马总统中心（Obama Presidential Center）落成仪式历经10年筹备，终于也见证了难得一见的场景，所有在世的前总统及其夫人齐聚一堂，以及来自芝加哥政商名流与各界国际知名人士数千人齐聚一堂，既是为了回顾前总统巴拉克·奥巴马（Barack Obama）的两个任期，也是旨在展望未来，如今美国已与他执政的8年大不相同。 今天的活动包含丰富的音乐元素，表演者有Common和詹妮弗·哈德森（Jennifer Hudson）等芝加哥本土明星和怀揣音乐梦想的年轻乐手。体育界代表包括德维恩·韦德（Dwyane Wade）和比利·简·金（Billie Jean King）。 在广播与娱乐界，芝加哥前脱口秀女王奥普拉·温弗瑞（Oprah Winfrey）亲临现场；前哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS)《晚间秀》（Late Show）主持人斯蒂芬·科尔伯特（Stephen Colbert）则身穿一套棕褐色西装亮相，此举意在调侃奥巴马总统2014年因在新闻发布会上身穿棕褐色西装而引发的争议。电影人乔治·卢卡斯（George Lucas）和史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格（Steven Spielberg）也出席了活动。…
6月18日讯，美国科技公司英特尔（Intel）股价今天上涨 10%，此前美国总统特朗普（Donald Trump）表示，这家半导体公司已与苹果（Apple）达成协议，将在美国设计和制造芯片。 特朗普总统在社交媒体平台“真实社交”上发帖称：“愚蠢的总统们把我们的经济视为理所当然，任由台湾和其他地区夺走了我们的半导体工厂，苹果已同意与英特尔合作，在美国设计并制造其芯片。” 英特尔此前曾经历多年困境并失去了市场主导地位，但近期股价大幅上涨。过去 12 个月里，该股飙升了 464%，该公司市值达到 6087 亿美元。截至最新交易时段，英特尔股价上涨 8.8%，而苹果股价在盘前交易中上涨 0.3%。 多年来，英特尔在人工智能（AI）竞赛中基本处于旁观状态，当时它正忙于应对制造延误问题，并等待其芯片代工业务迎来重要客户。 然而，去年初掌舵的首席执行官陈立武（Lip-Bu Tan）通过吸引美国芯片制造商英伟达（Nvidia）和特朗普政府的投资，重新点燃了华尔街对这家陷入困境的芯片制造商的兴趣。…
6月18日华盛顿讯，根据美国国家公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA）发布的召回通知，美国自动驾驶公司Waymo 正在召回近 3900 辆自动驾驶出租车（Robotaxi），原因是其自动驾驶软件在亚利桑那州和加利福尼亚州发生的数起事件中，未能识别出匝道封闭和道路施工区域。 此次召回是在 Waymo 审查了今年4 月和 5 月分别在凤凰城及旧金山湾区发生的几起事件后进行的。在调查问题期间，该公司曾暂时限制其自动驾驶出租车在高速公路上行驶。 此次召回涉及 Waymo 所谓的第五代自动驾驶系统（ADS），该系统为其捷豹（Jaguar）车队提供支持。美国国家公路交通安全管理局表示，所有被召回的车辆均被认为存在该软件缺陷。 该召回通知指出：“在特定情况下，由于不当地优先规避高速公路上的其他危险和/或未能识别出施工区域，[自动驾驶车辆] 可能会驶入高速公路施工区域并高速行驶。”…
6月18日华盛顿讯，美国最高法院今天以9比0的一致裁决，支持得克萨斯州男子阿里·赫马尼（Ali Hemani)。赫马尼此前因承认经常吸食大麻而被控非法持有枪支。该法院认定，该法律在适用于他时违反了宪法。 该项裁决为联邦政府起诉枪主设定了新的限制，即不得仅仅因为枪主有吸毒史而将其作为起诉对象。对于数百万不得不放弃持枪，或面临最高15年监禁风险的美国大麻使用者而言，该裁决尤其受到欢迎。 大法官尼尔·戈萨奇（Neil Gorsuch）在法庭意见书中写道，仅凭非法使用毒品这一事实，不足以成为将某人送入监狱并可能迫使其终身放弃持枪权的理由。 戈萨奇写道：“我们并不否认，个人非法使用大麻（或任何其他受管制物质）有时可能会使其对他人的安全构成威胁，但必须指出，政府在本案中明确表示无需证明存在此类情况……如果赋予政府如此广泛的权力，使其能够将任何群体定性为‘危险’并据此剥夺其成员的持枪资格，那将带来巨大的风险，即这种权力可能会迅速吞噬《第二修正案》所保障的权利。” 美国司法部（DOJ）表示，该部门每年起诉约300起案件，其中“吸毒者持枪禁令”相关的违规行为是主要指控。 戈萨奇指出，该项司法意见的适用范围有限，并未动摇该法律的其他条款，包括针对吸毒者、处于醉酒或受药物影响状态者，以及被认定对自己或他人构成威胁者的持枪禁令。例如，该裁决并不会阻碍依据该法律对前总统拜登的儿子亨特·拜登（Hunter Biden）的起诉，因为他在持有枪支期间，已被证实且本人也承认自己是吸毒者。 该裁决最直接的获益者是原告，一名来自美国得克萨斯州男子阿里·赫马尼（Ali Hemani）。他承认自己在家里存放一把格洛克（Glock）9毫米手枪的同时，保持着“隔天吸食一次”大麻的习惯。他因作为吸毒者非法持枪的一项指控而遭到联邦当局起诉，但在被捕时，他既未处于受药物影响的状态，也未实际手持该武器。 一家联邦上诉法院驳回了针对赫马尼的起诉，理由是该禁令适用于他时违反了宪法。最高法院大法官们认同这一裁决。尽管已有40多个州以某种形式将大麻合法化，但在联邦法律下，大麻仍然是被禁止的。 该裁决受到了美国全国步枪协会（NRA）的赞扬，称其为“第二修正案及全美守法持枪者的一次重大胜利”。 枪支安全倡导者此前曾与特朗普政府一道反对废除针对吸毒者的购枪禁令；他们表示，该法律的主体部分依然是一项有力且“合乎常理”的公共安全措施。