Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet
Acting Deputy Permanent Representative
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
August 4, 2020
AS DELIVERED
My delegation would like to express our sincere thanks to Ambassador Mavroyiannis for his leadership as Chair of the Fifth Committee this session in particular, and throughout the whole 74th General Assembly. We also would like to thank all members of the Bureau, and echo your sentiments as well, as well as the Fifth Committee Secretariat, for their hard work during a very complex and lengthy negotiation. And I want to thank our partners in the UN Secretariat, in particular USG Pollard, ASG Ramanathan, USG Khare, USG Lacroix, and USG Abelian.
This session presented the Fifth Committee with unprecedented challenges to our working methods. However, the Committee rose to this challenge and we were able to achieve consensus on many critical issues.
I want to highlight, that in approving a budget envelope of $6.58b for UN peacekeeping operations, a 3.4% reduction from last year’s budget, this Committee has taken steps to enforce fiscal discipline as well as institute accountability and increased budget transparency from the Secretariat so that critical information will be provided to show if mandates are achieving the mission goals. This is our job here in the Fifth Committee. In addition, this body also adopted key resolutions on Contingent Owned Equipment and the UN Board of Auditors: which will improve UN peacekeeping in the years ahead. And although we were unable to adopt a cross-cutting resolution, my delegation is pleased that the Committee was still able to provide guidance to the Secretariat on a few crucial policy issues: including mission staffing, sexual exploitation and abuse, safety and security of peacekeepers, and the implementation of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment System.
We appreciate the constructive spirit of compromise that we have seen from delegations this session. While we deeply regret that we could not find a more timely agreement on the secondment of active-duty military and police personnel, despite broad consensus, we look forward to working with all delegations to find a permanent solution at the next opportunity.
In closing, my delegation would also like to honor the sacrifice of the uniformed and civilian men and women who risk their lives in peacekeeping operations around the world. The Fifth Committee should always strive to ensure that our work improves UN peacekeeping for their sake, and the sake of the communities they protect.
I would also like to welcome Ambassador Amorin of Uruguay, as the incoming Chairman of the Fifth Committee, and I look forward to working with him and his team during the 75th session of the General Assembly.
Thank you.
FACT SHEET: U.S. Accomplishments During UN Fifth Committee Negotiations (May-June 2020 Session)
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