POLITICS: Delegates Protest As U.N. Cuts Heat, Late Meetings

By Thalif Deen Reprint | | Print |

Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 8 2002 (IPS) - A cash-strapped United Nations has launched an austerity drive, slashing some 75 million dollars in mostly operational expenses at its Secretariat.

The cuts, which include a ban on all after-hours meetings, have triggered strong protests from the Group of 77, a coalition of 133 developing nations.

Speaking on behalf of the Group, the largest single political body at the United Nations, Eva Silot Bravo of Cuba, told the administrative and budgetary committee the cutbacks are unacceptable.

Bravo was particularly critical of limits placed on meetings of U.N. committees and regional groupings of countries, which will no longer extend beyond 6 p.m. “We want all services directly affecting member states restored immediately,” she said.

Group of 77 meetings regularly run late into the evening because most delegates insist on speaking on crucial political or economic issues.

Bravo said the General Assembly’s decision to reduce operating expenses was apparently being used to justify reductions in meetings and other areas vital to member states. With several summit meetings scheduled to take place this year, the restrictions on meetings was taking on a political dimension, because they would discourage pre-summit discussions, she added.

But a U.N. official said the austerity measures are necessary to conform to a zero-growth budget. Since there will be no staff – including interpreters – working overtime after 6 p.m. or on weekends, no meetings will be held at those times, said Joseph Connor, under-secretary-general for management.

The only exceptions will be meetings of the Security Council, the only U.N. body with powers to declare war and peace, and plenary meetings of the General Assembly.

Connor said the organisation does not have enough money to maintain services for meetings, facilities management and information technology at existing levels. “Accordingly, staff, delegates and visitors will inevitably experience reduction or degradation of some services,” he added.

Delegates were able to feel the changes starting Monday, when heating in the 39-storey building was turned down. Air-conditioning will also be limited during summer months, particularly after 5 p.m.

One delegate said the reductions are an infringement on the authority of the General Assembly. Because of cutbacks, people had “to fight cold and sickness in conference rooms” in the last few days, and some were arriving at meetings with their overcoats on, said Syrian delegate Abdou al-Moula Nakkari.

“Restrictions in financing had led to restrictions in temperatures in committee rooms. Was the temperature equally cold in other parts of the building?” he asked.

As a result of the new measures, even the pitcher water supplied to conference rooms has been discontinued, forcing delegates to get their water from coolers in the building.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan and diplomats representing 189 member states will also have to forgo the luxury of elevator operators and coat attendants. Both services have been discontinued “with immediate effect”.

When the General Assembly approved a 2.6-billion-dollar U.N. budget in late December, it was conditional on overall cuts of 75 million dollars in operations. The specifics were to be decided by the department of management.

In a circular to staff members last week, Connor said that he anticipated that working conditions in the Secretariat would be affected by the “sharp cutbacks.”

The cuts include 19.7 million dollars in general operating expenses, 10 million dollars in information technology, 7.2 million dollars in furniture and equipment, 6.4 million dollars in contractual services, 2.8 million dollars in staff travel, 2 million dollars in the hiring of consultants and experts and 1.4 million dollars in supplies and materials.

The U.N. Secretariat now has a staff of about 8,900 worldwide, of which nearly 4,500 work at headquarters in New York. The number has declined from a high of 12,000 in 1985, mostly through attrition.

Staff cuts and the zero growth budgets have been triggered by outstanding dues from member states, which have peaked at more than 3.0 billion dollars for the U.N.’s regular and peacekeeping budgets. The worst offender is the United States, which owes about 1.9 billion dollars.

Annan said the Secretariat would review a number of administrative and management procedures. One area that is particularly ripe for scrutiny, he pointed out, is documents. “It seems to me there is a need to consider not only the quantity of these documents that we currently prepare, but also the way we do it,” he said.

The United Nations has long been known as a paper factory, because of the millions of documents – an average of 700 million – it cranks out every year. The cost of printing in New York and Geneva exceeds 250 million dollars per year.

Responding to the complaints, U.N. controller Jean-Pierre Halbwachs said the organisation could not continue business as usual with less money. “The Secretariat had to live with the approved level of reductions,” he added.