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Fifth Committee Begins Talks on DPKO Restructuring

6 June 2007

Today, Fifth Committee delegates began general discussions on the restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and financing of the Organization’s peacekeeping support account. The report of the Secretary General containing the proposals on how to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to manage and sustain peace operations (A/61/858) was introduced by Under Secretary-General for the Department of Management, Alicia Barcena Ibarra.

  1. Statement by USG for Management on restructuring DPKO.

Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno was also present. He aligned himself with the remarks made by USG Barcena Ibarra and stressed the fact that the proposals contained in the SG report, A/61/858, do not represent a rupture from the old peacekeeping operations management system but are based on recommendations advanced through the course of many years, such as those contained in the Brahimi Report and many others. He reassured Member States that the restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is not intended to separate DPKO and Peacekeeping in general from the Secretariat. He added that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the new Department of Field Support (DFS) would work in close coordination within the framework established by the Secretariat and based on mandates approved by Member States.

The Under Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, Inga-Britt Ahlenius, introduced the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) Report on the Audit of DPKO management structures (A/61/743).

  1. Statement by USG for Internal Oversight Services on Audit report of DPKO management structure

The Chairman of the ACABQ, Rajat Saha, introduced the ACABQ report issued on 1 June 2007, A/61/937. The report comments on the SG's proposals and funding requests for the rearrangement of DPKO (A/61/858 and A/61/858.Corr.1).

ACABQ recommendations:
The ACABQ report based on the Secretary-General’s report on strengthening the capacity of the United Nations to sustain peace operations (A/61/858), comments on the proposals of the Secretary General for the restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Among other recommendations, the ACABQ report warns Member States that the new organizational structure envisaged by the SG may present some major management challenges. In particular, the unusual arrangement of having the head of the Department of field support report to and take direction from the head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations could create potential complications with respect to chain of command, accountability, coordination and maintenance of an adequate system of checks and balances.

The report also found several lacunae in the SG report while adding that structural change should not be seen as a substitute for managerial improvement. Outdated systems, inefficient and duplicative work processes, together with insufficient management attention are as much to blame for the difficulties the UN encounters in addressing the peacekeeping challenges than lack of personnel or inefficient structures. Further, the ACABQ report requests the SG to propose specific time-bound strategies to improve work processes and procedures. It also suggests that an analysis be carried out regarding the gains in efficiency and effectiveness, if any, resulted from past reforms enacted in the UN Logistics Base in Brindisi.

It also recommends that, in the context of the proposed budget for the support account for 2009/2010, Member States request the SG to review the work processes in relevant departments and DPKO with an objective to streamlining staffing and avoiding duplication of work.

Pending the outcomes of the analysis and further proposals on the improvement of work processes, the ACABQ deems it prudent to recommend provision for general temporary assistance positions rather than the establishment of posts in order to avoid institutionalizing functions that may not be required in the long term.

The ACABQ also warns that the substantial delegation of authority would result from the implementation of the SG proposal and it should be accompanied by clearly-spelled out authorities and explicit accountability measures.

The budgetary resources for the rearrangement of the DPKO suggested by the ACABQ for approval run short of $23,990,200 as opposed to the sum requested by the SG ($ 254,500,100).

Fifth Committee delegates are now expected to engage in informal discussions and agree on a draft resolution related to the resources asked by the Secretary General to implement its proposals. The draft resolution will be submitted to the GA for adoption. It is expected to be agreed to by the end of this week, as the second resumed session of the Fifth Committee is due to close on 8 June 2007.

For a full account of the general discussion and further background on the issue and related documents:

  1. BUDGET COMMITTEE TAKES UP SECRETARY-GENERAL’S PROPOSALS AIMED AT STRENGTHENING PEACEKEEPING, IN FACE OF GROWING DEMAND, COMPLEXITY, DPI Report, 6 June 2007

MEMBER STATES STATEMENTS

  1. Republic of Korea's Statement on DPKO reform, 6 June 2007

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