By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 24 2008 (IPS)

The 130-member Group of 77 (G77), the largest single coalition of developing nations, is challenging Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s decision to realign two key posts, one dealing with Africa and the other with the world’s poorest nations, into a single mega entity.

“A number of delegations (have) expressed concerns about the realignment, specifically with regard to the legislative mandate for the realignment, the rationale behind the proposal, and its possible impact on the functioning of both offices,” says a letter of protest by the G77 chair, Ambassador John W. Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda.

The two senior posts – which were separate until now – are the U.N. Special Adviser on Africa and the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.

Both posts, holding the rank of under-secretary-general (USG) and described as the third highest in the U.N. hierarchy, were created by the General Assembly over the last decade.

The secretary-general has argued that his decision to merge the two key posts was primarily to “make better use of resources”.

But an Asian diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS that even if the secretary-general was justified in doing it, “He went about doing it the wrong way.”

“It is not the prerogative of the Secretariat or the secretary-general to act on matters of such importance before seeking the approval of the General Assembly,” he added.

In a letter to the G77 last January, Ban said that following consultations with the African Group, “the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa will not be abolished and that the resources allocated to the Office in support of its approved mandates will remain intact”, in conformity with relevant U.N. resolutions on programme budget for 2008-2009.

Asked for his comments, Ban told reporters last year the planned process of reconfiguration was meant “to strengthen the United Nations focus and attention on African issues” – not weaken it.

This, he said, is also “part of integrating and consolidating U.N. efficiencies, as well as resources, to better address African issues.”

As he has done before, Ban stressed that African issues were “the highest priority on his agenda from day one.”

That is why, he said, his first appointment was “a distinguished African woman – Asha-Rose Migiro (of Tanzania), as the deputy secretary-general.”

But the protests in the G77 are being led primarily by the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which complain they were not consulted as to whether they would accept a merger.

They fear the High Representative for LDCs and SIDS may be overburdened covering such a wide range of mandates under a single office – even though most of the 50 LDCs are in Africa.

But SIDS, who are mostly outside Africa, have said their interests have either been “ignored or undermined” by the merger.

Cheikh Sidi Diara, a former permanent representative of Mali to the United Nations who was appointed high representative last July, now holds both posts. In appointing Diara for a second post, the secretary-general did not renew the contract of the outgoing special adviser on Africa, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila.

Less than a month after he took over as secretary-general in January 2007, Ban came under fire for proposing far-reaching changes in two other departments: the Department of Disarmament Affairs (DDA) and the Department for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).

Expressing strong reservations, the G77 castigated the secretary-general for trying to restructure U.N. departments without first consulting either with member states or the Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee).

At a closed-door meeting of the G77 in January 2007, Ambassador Nirupam Sen of India, pointedly declared: “The secretary-general is not a king and the Secretariat is not the king’s court.”

Sen told G77 delegates: “To use a metaphor from a Christian marriage ceremony, those whom the General Assembly resolution has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

As demanded, the secretary-general’s proposals for revamping the two U.N. departments eventually went through the inter-governmental legislative processes in the U.N. system, including approval by budgetary committees and the General Assembly.

The G77 now wants the same process to be followed in the proposed merger of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa and the Office of the LDCs.

Excerpt: