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Statement by Melanie Attwooll, United States Advisor
and Delegate to the Fifth Committee, on the OIOS report on
the management review of the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Before the Fifth Committee of the Fifty-seventh Session of
the General Assembly, March 3, 2003
Thank you Mr. Chairman,
We would like to thank
OIOS
for its
report (A/57/488) on the management review of
OHCHR. As a
priority activity of the Organization, the human rights
program is extremely important to my delegation. A
well-defined, targeted program in combination with clear
lines of responsibility and authority is essential for the
effective functioning of the program. The management
review under consideration today has identified
shortcomings in the Office of the High Commissioner and
has prescribed a course of action to tighten operations
for a more focused approach.
This report emphasizes a concern
about the funding arrangements for the Office and we are
pleased to note that the Office’s voluntary contributions
have increased substantially in recent years. We
congratulate the Office on maintaining a high level of
voluntary contributions and encourage it to continue its
fundraising efforts in this regard.
With regard to the increasing number
of mandates, my delegation would like to know whether the
Office of the High Commissioner reviews its mandates on a
regular basis to determine whether any are obsolete,
irrelevant, or ineffective. If so, has the Office taken
steps to terminate such mandates? We believe it is
important to remind managers that while Member States are
adept at creating mandates, we are equally reliant upon
program managers to indicate which mandates are no longer
relevant or have proved ineffective. In this regard, we
look to the OHCHR to take an active role in managing its
activity load.
Similarly, we expect that the OHCHR
will systematically reverse the trend in the amount of
documentation produced for UN bodies. The large number of
thematically duplicative documents should be a prime
target in the Office’s reform efforts.
OIOS has reported that some sections
of OHCHR are stretched thin in their attempt to fulfill an
increasing number of responsibilities. Yet there is no
shortage of posts at OHCHR. We believe that with proper
reorganization, prioritization, and thorough follow-up to
the numerous recommendations made in internal and external
reviews, the Office will be equipped to carry out its
highest priorities.
A wide variety of additional
management issues have been identified in this report and
my delegation will not go into the specifics of these at
this time other than to express our desire that OIOS
recommendations be implemented as soon as possible. It is
our understanding that many of these issues are already
being addressed in Geneva. If an update can be provided
at this time, we would welcome OIOS’ comments.
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