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We commend you, Mr. Chairman, for your able leadership of the Committee.
Pakistan delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the Permanent Representative of South Africa, on behalf of Group of 77 and China. We take this opportunity to congratulate South Africa for assuming the Chairmanship of the Group, G-77 and China. We also welcome the new Controller and wish her well as she assumes her responsibilities.
During the main part of 69th session, the Fifth Committee was obliged to defer some important agenda items despite achieving considerable progress. Pakistan sincerely hopes that all delegations and stakeholders would display flexibility and political will to develop a broad based consensus, during this session. To save valuable time, negotiations must begin from where we had left them off.
We urge the Bureau to continue to work closely with their constituencies on the Committee’s organizational matters. It is imperative that decisions with regard to the timelines for the conclusion of the informal consultations and the deferral of non time-bound agenda items be taken in an open, transparent and inclusive manner. There are established practices and institutional memory to guide the work of the Bureau in this regard. In this connection, the Chair of the Committee has an important role in allocating adequate time to each agenda item, taking into account its significance and complexity.
Mr. Chairman,
You would recall that during the fall session, the Committee was constrained to deal with some important issues such as Performance Report and the Budget Outline, at the eleventh hour. This was primarily due to the perennial issue of late submission of reports. These delays impact adversely on the quality of General Assembly’s resolutions, our deliberations, and the overall organization of work of the Committee. We request that reports and documents are presented on time for the Committee’s due diligence. This is a systemic, long-standing and complex issue. But unfortunately, it remains to be addressed satisfactorily. It is time for the Committee to take it up including as part of efforts to improve its methods of work. We stand ready to engage and contribute to the discussions and more importantly to solutions.
Mr. Chairman,
In the coming days, Pakistan would constructively engage on all agenda items.
The heavy agenda that we have to deal with calls for flexibility, compromise and understanding by all. We assure you of our full cooperation and constructive engagement in the work of the Committee, according to its programme of work and within the allocated time.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.