I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Member States of the Asia-Pacific Group.

 

2. Thank you for convening this landmark meeting to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. 

 

3. At the outset, on behalf of the group, I would like to congratulate Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chairperson and all other members of the Advisory Committee on this important occasion. I also take this opportunity to thank and commend all the past Chairs and members of the ACABQ for their immense contributions made to the UN during the last seventy years. 

 

 

4. The Asia-Pacific Group has high regard and appreciation for the crucial role of the Advisory Committee.

 

5. The ACABQ is an indispensable body because of its given mandates in providing recommendations to the UN system on administrative and budgetary matters, prior to review by the Member States. 

 

6. Since its inception in 1946 with 9 members, the Advisory Committee has now grown to 16 members - an increase of 78% - to meet the growing membership of the UN. Its 16 members who represent the various geographical regions in their individual capacity bring diverse knowledge, expertise and perspectives to the Committee. So far, experts from 10 countries from APG (India, China, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Syria) have been members of ACABQ and one has held the Chairmanship from 2006 to 2007.

 

7. The Advisory Committee has assumed increased importance in ensuring the efficient and effective use of the financial resources committed by the Member States to the United Nations and its agencies. The fact that over 95% of its recommendations are accepted by the General Assembly speaks volumes about the critical work of the ACABQ which have guided the deliberations of Member States on this important issue.

 

8. The workload of the Advisory Committee has progressively increased, reflecting changes in the scope and volume of the work of the United Nations which is manifest in the fact that 527 reports were considered and 224 reports were issued by the Committee, during the biennium 2014-2015. 

 

9. Against this backdrop, we would like to support the ACABQ Secretariat to further improve and reinforce its function.

 

10. In addition to its role in providing recommendations on the efficient use of the growing budget of the organization, the Group recognizes that the Advisory Committee has also played a significant role in facilitating the efficient implementation of the recent business transformative initiatives such as UMOJA, IPSAS, ICT Strategy, Global Field Support Strategy and the like. 

 

11. Its advice on the Capital Master Plan and the ongoing Strategic Heritage Plan as well as other construction and renovation activities is also commendable.

 

12. With ever expanding mandates and increasing reliance on voluntary contributions, we believe that the Advisory Committee's contribution to proper governance and oversight of UN and its agencies will remain crucial.

 

Finally Mr. President,

 

13. We would like to reiterate our full support to all the members of the ACABQ and our deep appreciation for their neutrality and independence, technical expertise and diplomatic acumen.

 

14. We are confident that the ACABQ will continue to do its excellent work in the General Assembly to ensure judicious and efficient use of increasingly scarce resources.