U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
November 30, 2020
AS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
Mr. Chair.
The United States wishes to thank all who contributed to these wide-ranging and informative reports, especially the UN Pension Board, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, the Office of Internal Oversight Services and the Board of Auditors.
We welcome the new leadership of the Pension Fund and encourage their continued focus on improving the performance of the Fund and for continued investment strategies that meet its long-term return objective. We also place importance on ensuring that the Pension Board operates according to best practices and note with appreciation the governance reforms recommended in the Mosaic report as a meaningful step in the right direction.
We, also, expect the timely implementation of all the accepted recommendations of the oversight bodies and look forward to discussing the recommendations of the Advisory Committee during our deliberations. We would especially call attention to the recommendations of the Board of Auditors and the Advisory Committee regarding the processing of benefits and reiterate its call, through enhanced cooperation between the Fund Administration and member organizations, to eliminate all delays in the payment of benefits resulting from missing separation documents.
Finally, we concur with the Advisory Committee’s call for ensuring the independence of the Secretary of the Pension Board from the Chief Executive of Pension Administration and echo the Committee’s trust that the Pension Board will provide the draft terms of reference for the Secretary of the Pension Board and the Chief Executive of Pension Administration, including reporting lines, at the earliest opportunity to the General Assembly.
The United States looks forward to working with all member states in reaching consensus on this important agenda item.
Thank you, Chair.
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