Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 146: Human Resources Management: Seconded active-duty military and police personnel.

2. At the outset, the Group would like to thank Ms. Martha Helena Lopez, Assistant Secretary General for Human Resources, for introducing the report of the Secretary-General on Seconded active-duty military and police personnel and Mr. Abdallah Bachar Bong, Chairman the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for introducing their respective reports.

Mr. Chair,

3. The Group attaches great importance to the Organization’s human resources as it is the Organization’s main asset. The Group reiterates that a diverse, flexible, and dynamic workforce that is both motivated and adequately compensated is essential for efficient and effective delivery of the Organization’s mandate.

4. In this respect, the Group of 77 and China acknowledges the engagements by the Secretary-General with the Member States through his most recent outreach efforts conducted in September and October 2020 in response to the General Assembly Resolution 74/254 B that requested for an increased engagement with the Member States and to explore all viable options to resolve issues involving the seconded active-duty military and police personnel, in particular the conflicts between national legislation and the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations.

5. The Group is, however, concerned that there are discrepancies between the information provided by the Member States, seconded officers, and the Secretariat, as well as discrepancies between the information provided in the context of the present report and in the context of the previous reports of the Secretary-General as has been pointed out by the Advisory Committee. The Group looks forward to receiving clarification on these discrepancies during the informal consideration of this item by the Committee.

Mr. Chair,

6. The Group notes that three new options and two former options have been presented by the Secretary-General for consideration by the General Assembly in an attempt to resolve the outstanding conflicts between some national legislation and the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations as regards the engagement of the seconded active-duty military and police personnel.

7. The Group emphasizes that the overall consideration for the options should be based on the principles identified by the Secretary-General as set out in paragraph 24 of his report, and the need for the payments and benefits of active-duty seconded personnel to be fair, transparent and equitable. We also note that the outcome of this negotiation must entail a framework of full accountability and impartiality of the seconded personnel. Therefore, the Group will critically analyze these options to ensure that they are in line with this consideration.

8. The Group once again stresses that this long-standing issue needs to be resolved expeditiously, in compliance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

9. In conclusion, Mr. Chair, the Group, assures you of our commitment to engage constructively on this important agenda item.

I thank you.