Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the organization of work for the first part of the resumed 77th session of the Fifth Committee.

2. Allow me to start by acknowledging Pakistan`s commendable stewardship as Chair of the Group throughout 2022, in these times of unprecedented challenges. I reiterate Cuba`s commitment to continue leading the work of the Group in a transparent and constructive manner.

3. I take this opportunity to express our Group’s appreciation and support to the considerable efforts made by the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee and the Bureau in presenting a balanced programme of work for this session.

4. In this regard, the Group welcomes the continuation of in-person meetings of the Committee, which remain vital when attempting to achieve delicate balances, truly successful outcomes and meaningful engagement amongst all member States.

5. The Group would also like to recognize the efforts made by the Chair and members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in providing sound technical advice to the Committee on the important matters before us during this part of the session.

6. In this respect, the Group acknowledges the steps taken towards timely updating the availability of reports for delegates. However, we remain cognizant that there is still room for further improvement. Timely submission of reports is crucial to enable the committee to effectively undertake its work and deliberate upon critical subjects under its attention.

Mr. Chair,

7. Our Group is committed to a thorough consideration of Agenda items allocated to this Committee for its first resume session, in particular, human resources management, accountability system, supply chain activities, capital investments planning, Information and Communications Technology Strategy, standards of accommodations for air travel, UMOJA, report of the Joint Inspection Unit, among others.

8. Human Resources Management is a long-standing issue on which we have been unable to reach consensus throughout the last years. Our Group will continue to engage in a true spirit of compromise keeping in view the collective benefits we all would stand to gain from a resolution on this important matter.

9. We aim to consider holistically, as a package, all the essential issues under this Agenda item, including equitable geographical representation, gender parity, filling up vacant posts, addressing deficiencies in the staff selection process and refining performance management. Even though divergences have remained over the previous sessions, there have been many areas of convergences and our Group hopes that they will constitute a starting point for our discussions this time.

10. Accountability is another key issue to be considered in this session. Our Group places special emphasis on this aspect, and reiterates its call to continue strengthening internal controls in the accountability system through the constant monitoring of expenditures in order to fully implement agreed mandates and programmes. In this regard, the Group will engage in the review of the accountability system, paying particular attention to how reforms should contribute to the enhancement of the accountability mechanism.

Mr. Chair,

11. The Group reiterates its commitment to engaging constructively and in good faith with all partners, in order to enhance the work of the Committee while addressing some of the issues that have remained unresolved for a few years. We hope that this spirit would prevail amongst all stakeholders.

12. We also reiterate our full cooperation with you and the Bureau to arrive at a successful outcome for this session.

I thank you.