UN Transcripts — https://transcripts.un.org/en/ga/c5/79/38 Fifth Committee, 38th meeting - General Assembly, Second part of the resumed 79th session — Fifth Committee — 25 June 2025 Language: en Automatically generated transcript — may contain errors. Not an official United Nations record. --- El Salvador · Chair · López [0:00]: Hi, good afternoon. We're about to begin, so please kindly take your seats. Fantastic. I call to order the 38th meeting of the Fifth Committee. That sounds great. At the second part of our 79th session. Queridos colegas. Dear colleagues. A year has passed since we embarked upon this adventure, and I can confirm that without any doubt time flies. I wish to begin this meeting recognizing the time, effort, and dedication that you have shown in recent days, weeks, and weekends. For me, one of the main lessons learned during the last few months is ultimately the way in which the committee Clinges to its working methods that are so unique and different to those used by other committees. I'm not going to delve into working methods right now, but there's no doubt that everything is connected. We have concluded this session 3.5 weeks after the deadline originally proposed for the second part of this resumed session. Of course, that's not the ideal scenario, but I do want to convey my deepest gratitude to each of you negotiators and coordinators of agenda items. I want to thank my Bureau colleagues And the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee and my team. I want to thank you all for making what we've done possible. Thank you for supporting us in recent weeks with your cheerful disposition, your openness to dialogue, and your political will to achieve the agreements that today we are going to adopt. Despite the challenges and the fact they've been numerous, I am aware and despite the fact that I am aware that results could have been achieved in a smoother way, I would invite you today to focus more specifically today on what we've achieved together. Focusing on what we've achieved doesn't mean casting aside those areas on which it was difficult to reach an agreement. Far less does it mean that lessons learned are not significant. These lessons are in your memories, they're engraved on them, the memories of everyone involved in these processes. But they're not just in our minds, they'll now go down in our collective institutional memory that now is our starting point as we forge ahead and look for greater changes in the future. And I hope we'll see those changes in a near, not a distant future. In light of the above, I would invite you to be as present as you can be in this closing meeting, a meeting which in a way symbolizes the end of this General Assembly session. I'll now switch to English as we move to the substantive items of our meeting today. Distinguished delegates, we turn our attention to action on the draft resolutions on the issues that were before the committee during the second part of its resumed 79th session. I am pleased to welcome to the committee the ASG of the Office of Program Planning, Finance and Budget and Controller, our usual guest, Mr. Chandramonathan. Owing to the fact that most of the draft proposals before you have only been adopted informally in the last few days, I should like to inform delegations that the majority of resolutions as well as the decisions before the Committee today are provisional— provisional versions and subject to editorial review and quality control. They will be issued in the 6 official languages as quickly as possible. Taking fully into account the various resolutions of the GA on multilingualism, I thank all delegations for the flexibility to proceed exceptionally with these documents in English only to facilitate the conclusion of the work of the Committee at the second part of its resumed 79th session. Thank you for your cooperation. So before we proceed, the Russian Federation has requested to make a statement. So now I give the floor to the Russian Federation. Russian Federation [5:33]: Madam Chair, thank you very much for giving me the floor. I wished to state that the Russian Federation is disassociating itself from what has not been approved by member states. I refer to the concepts of the UN 2.0 blueprint and the quintet of change, which are contained in a number of the Secretary-General's reports. El Salvador · Chair · López [5:59]: Thank you. Thank you. I first invite the committee to resume its consideration of agenda item 136, entitled Financial Reports and Audit Financial Statements and Reports of the Board of Auditors. The attention of the committee is drawn to the Resolution A/C.5/79/L.51 entitled Financial Reports and Audit Financial Statements and Reports of the Board of Auditors, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Guinea, Mrs. Masseny Kaba Saleh, And the representative of Antigua and Barbuda, Ms. Gerianne Romanis-Jeremy. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/7 L.79/L.51 without a vote are here. No objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wishes to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? I see the Russian Federation. You have the floor. Was it— Russian Federation [7:34]: Madam Chair, In the context of the discussion of the recommendations of the Board of Auditors, what is contained in paragraph 451 in the Report A-79/5 Volume 2, we would like to note the following. According to the explanation provided by the Secretariat as well as the Board of Auditors, this recommendation is geared first and foremost towards preventing excessive procurement, particularly of goods which pose an ecological danger in their storage, and which does not incur additional financial implications or expenditures. On the contrary, the implementation thereof can result in an increase in the effectiveness of the management of these of the storage and as a result, a reduction in expenditures. At the same time, we also believe that this recommendation does not provide for a revision or expansive interpretation of the established principles of procurement activity. We did not link this to the introduction. Of mandatory criteria for sustainable development as elements for the assessment of tender proposals. And this is also reaffirmed in the Secretariat's position. Thank you for your attention. El Salvador · Chair · López [9:21]: Thank you. As I see no further requests for The floor. We have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I next invite the committee to resume its consideration of agenda item 139 entitled Program Budget for 2025. The attention of the committee is drawn to draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.52 entitled Strategic Heritage Plan of the United Nations Office in Geneva, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Cuba, Mr. Richard Tur de la Concepción. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? Okay. If there are no comments, my take is that the committee wishes to adopt of Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.52 without a vote? I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? As I see no requests for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I next invite the Committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 155, entitled Administrative and Budgetary Aspects of the Financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. Under this agenda item, the Committee will consider a total of 3 draft resolutions. The attention of the committee is first drawn to Draft Resolution 1 containing Document A/C.5/79/L.50 entitled Support Account for Peacekeeping Operations, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Marinko Abramović. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.50 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? Okay, I see no requests for the floor. We have thus concluded our consideration of this question. I next invite the committee to consider Draft Resolution 2, contained in Document A/C.5.79/L.40, entitled Financing of the United Nations Regional Service Center in Entebbe, Uganda. Submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Austria, Mrs. Joanna Bishop, and also vice chair of the Bureau. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? Okay. If there are no comments, may I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79 L.40 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? As I see no requests for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this question. So the committee will next consider draft resolution 3, containing Document A/C.5/79/L.39, entitled Financing of the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi, Italy, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Austria, Mrs. Joanna Bischoff. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the Committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5.79/L.39 without a vote? I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Okay. So does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? Okay, so as I see no requests for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this question. Before taking up the agenda items on the individual peacekeeping missions, I would like to convey my deep, deep appreciation to the representative of Norway, Mrs. Inga Dahlin. Who facilitated the discussion on all peacekeeping operations. Dearest Inga, it has been a real pleasure for me, for my team, and I guess I speak on behalf of the whole delegates, to work with you during the past year, and I have to say especially over the last few months. Your determination, precision, and ability to generate a frank but also diligent dialogue among delegations has been the key to achieve the results obtained during this session in a timely manner. I really appreciate your work and everything that you've done, not only in this session but also before. It's been an honor for me to work alongside with you. I now invite the committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 156 entitled Financing of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Avia. The attention of the committee therefore is drawn to draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.41 entitled Financing of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abieh, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Vietnam, Mr. Ken Pham. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79/ABIEH L.41 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? Okay. As I see no requests for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I next invite the committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 157, entitled Financing of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African Republic. The attention of the committee is therefore drawn to Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L. 42, entitled Financing of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African Republic, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Paraguay, Viviana Sanabria. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? Okay, if there are no comments, might I take it that the committee wishes to adopt Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.42 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? I see no request for the floor. We have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I next invite the committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 158 entitled Financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. The attention of the committee is drawn to Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.43 entitled Financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. Submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Canada, Mrs. Sophie Robidoux. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5.79/L.43 without a vote? I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of this draft resolution? As I see no request for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I now invite the committee to resume its consideration of agenda item 159 entitled Financing of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attention of the committee is drawn to Resolution A/C.5/79/L.44 entitled Financing of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Republic of Moldova, Corina Moroi. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.1? 2.44 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? As I see no request for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I next invite the committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 161, entitled Financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. The attention of the committee is drawn to Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.45, entitled Financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. Submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Bahamas, Mr. Obafemi McKenzie. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5.79/L.45 without a vote? I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? As I see no request for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I next invite the committee to resume its consideration of agenda item 162, entitled Financing of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. The attention of the committee is drawn to draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.38, entitled Financing of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Singapore, Mrs. Noelle Tam. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5.79/L.38 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of this draft resolution? As I see no requests for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I next invite the Committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 163, entitled Financing of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the Middle East. Under sub-item A, entitled United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, the Committee has before it a draft resolution contained in document A/C.5/79/L.46 entitled Financing of the United Nations Disengagement Observer 4s submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Sweden, Mr. Erik Björk. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, my take that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79/L. 46 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? As I see no requests for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this sub-item. Under sub-item B, entitled United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the committee has before it a draft resolution contained in document A/C.5/79/L.36/Revision 1, entitled Financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Submitted by representative of Iraq on behalf of the states that are members of the Group of 77 and China. I give the floor to the representative of Iraq on behalf of the Group of 77 and China to introduce the draft resolution. Iraq · G77 + China · Permanent Representative [25:52]: Thank you, Madam Chair. I have the honor to introduce the document A/C.5.7/2023. AE/79/L3671, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The group would like to thank the Secretary-General for his reports on the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, as contained in Document AE/79/597, AE/79/752, and to the Chair of the ACABQ for the related report contained in Document A/79/724, Add 7. Madam Chair, in response to the General Assembly Resolution 78/305, the Secretary-General states in his report that Israel has not paid the amount of $1,117,005 to us as an account receivable for UNIFIL, resulting from the tragic incident in Ghana on 18 April 1996. The Secretary-General further explains that he has not received any response to the 30 letters addressed of the matter. The most recent dated 17 December 2024. Madam Chair, the Group of 77 and China stresses once again that the amount due from the incident in Ghana on 18 April 1996 should be paid by Israel and request the Secretary-General to report on this matter to the General Assembly at its 80th session. In this regard, the Group of 77 and China is the sponsor of the preambular paragraph 4 and operative paragraphs 4, 5, and 14 of the draft resolution contained in Document A C5/79/L36 Rev. 1, and of the draft resolution entitled Financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Madam Chair, I would like to reiterate the appreciation of the Group of 77 and China to the Secretary-General for his efforts in this regard, and to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for their sacrifice successes and positive contribution to restoring peace and security in the region. I thank you, Madam Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [28:24]: Thank you. We shall now proceed to consider the draft resolution. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Israel. Israel [28:35]: Thank you, Madam Chair, for giving me the floor. First, the State of Israel would like to thank you for your strong leadership in guiding the Fifth Committee. My delegation would like to make the following oral amendments. We request the deletion of PP4, OP4, OP5, and OP14 from the draft resolution AC.579/L.36 Rev. 1, and we urge Member States to join Israel in supporting this deletion. In case of a recorded vote on request for deletion, we ask— I call all Member States to vote in favor of the deletion of these paragraphs. I also request to put the resolution to a vote as a whole should the amendment will not be accepted. Thank you, Madam Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [29:33]: Thank you. The representative of Israel has proposed oral amendment to draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.36/revision 1 to delete the PP4 and OP4, 5, and 14. I'm going to repeat. The representative of Israel has proposed this oral amendment to the draft resolution to delete preambula paragraph 4 and the OPs 4, 5, and 14. I give the floor to the representative of Iraq on behalf of the G77 and China. Iraq · G77 + China · Permanent Representative [30:21]: Thank you, Madam Chair. The Group of 77 and China request for a recorded vote on the oral amendment just proposed by Israel. In my capacity as the chair of the Group of 77 and China, call upon all delegations to vote against the oral amendments proposed by Israel aimed at deleting paragraphs from the resolution. Thank you, Madam Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [30:48]: Thank you. A recorded vote has been requested on the oral amendment proposed by the representative of Israel. So in accordance with Rule 130 of the Rules of Procedures of the General Assembly, the committee shall first take action— take a decision on the proposed amendments submitted by the representative of Israel. Does any delegation wish to make a statement in explanation of vote before the vote. Okay, so before we begin the voting process, I should like to remind members that according to Rule 128 of the Rules of Procedures of the General Assembly, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order on the actual conduct of the voting. Okay, so I now put to the vote the oral amendment as submitted by the representative of Israel to draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.36/revision 1. So those in favor, favor, please press 2. Those against, please press 3. And those abstentions, please press 4. I'm going to repeat: in favor, press 2. Against, press 3. And abstentions, press 4. I now give the floor to the Secretary of 5th Committee · Secretary of the Committee · Lionel Berridge [32:41]: Will delegations confirm that their votes are accurately reflected on the board? The voting has been completed. The machine is locked. El Salvador · Chair · López [33:01]: Thank you. So the result of the vote is as follows. In favor, 5. Against, 79. And abstentions, 53. So the oral amendment submitted by the representative of Israel is not adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement in explanation of vote after the vote? A recorded vote has been requested by the representative of Israel on the draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.36/revision 1 as a whole. Does any delegation wish to make a statement in explanation of vote before the vote? Okay, we shall now proceed to take a decision on the draft resolution. Before we begin the voting process, as I mentioned before, I should like to remind delegations that according to Rule 128 of the Procedures of the General Assembly, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order on the actual conduct of the voting. So now I put to vote the draft resolution A/ C.5/79/L.36/Revision 1 as a whole. Those in favor, please press 2. Those against, please press 3. And abstention, press 4. I'm going to repeat. Those in favor, press 2. Those against, press 3. And abstention, press 4. Speaker 14 [34:51]: 4. El Salvador · Chair · López [34:52]: I now give the floor to the Secretary of the Committee. 5th Committee · Secretary of the Committee · Lionel Berridge [34:58]: Will delegations confirm that their votes are accurately reflected on the board? The voting has been completed. The machine is locked. El Salvador · Chair · López [35:12]: Thank you. The result of the vote is as follows: in favor, 134. 3 abstentions, 1. The draft resolution containing Document A/C.5/79/L.36/Revision 1 as a whole is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? Okay, I give the floor to the representative of Poland. Poland · EU · Vice-Chair · Szymon Pekala [35:52]: Madam Chair, thank you for giving me the floor. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the member states of the European Union, the candidate countries Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia, and the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area. As well as Monaco and San Marino aligned themselves with this statement. Madam Chair, the Member States of the European Union are concerned with the recurring trend of resorting to votes on the agenda item pertaining to the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. We abstained during the voting on the oral amendment presented by Israel on the draft resolution A/161 C5-79 1). Allow me to recall that the Fifth Committee is the main committee of the General Assembly entrusted with the responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters. As such, our duty is to ensure that mandates given by the UN Security Council or any other legislative bodies may be fully executed and to that end, that they are adequately resourced. The member states of the European Union consider, however, that the Fifth Committee is not the appropriate forum to include political discussions in the context of the resolution dealing with the financing of UNIFIL. In our view, the broader political aspects of the events to which the draft resolution refers, including the incident in Kana, were extensively debated in the General Assembly in April 1996, resulting in Resolution 50/22 of 25th of April 1996. At that time, the member states of the European Union made their position clear in a plenary statement and in the voting procedure on that specific resolution. However, in full compliance with the Fifth Committee mandate, In light of this, and responsibility, the member states of the European Union have voted in favor of the resolution as a whole, since it provides appropriation of resources that are crucial for UNIFIL to fulfill its important mandate. Thank you, Madam Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [38:14]: Thank you. Now I give the floor to the representative of the United States. United States of America [38:22]: Thank you, Madam Chair. The use of General Assembly funding resolutions to pursue claims against a member state is not appropriate. We have historically opposed General Assembly resolutions on this item because they required a member state to pay for costs stemming from the Kana incident of 1996. These resolutions were not consensus resolutions. Since shortly after the founding of the United Nations, the procedure which has been followed is that the Secretary-General presents and pursues the settlement of the organization's claims against a state or states. Using a funding resolution to legislate a settlement is inappropriate. It also politicizes the work of the General Assembly's Fifth Committee and should be avoided both now and in the future. Thank you. El Salvador · Chair · López [39:18]: Thank you. I give the floor to the representative of Israel. Israel [39:23]: Thank you, Madam Chair. The State of Israel reiterates the importance of preserving the integrity and mandate of the Fifth Committee as non-political and technical body. The Fifth Committee was established to ensure the sound and equitable administration of the UN's budgetary and administrative matters. It must not be exploited as a platform to advance vindictive political agendas. When this Committee is politicized, it undermines not only the legitimacy of its decisions but the credibility of the UN itself. My delegation is deeply concerned by the continued misuse of this agenda item to target Israel through biased, biased condemnation that bluntly disregards the UN's financial rules and regulations, particularly Regulation 6.5 and Financial Rule 106.7 that pertains to the responsibility of asset loss or damage of UN facilities. These actions violate the principle of equal treatment of member states and amounts to double standards that has no place in this committee. Let us be clear, no member state should be singled out or unjustified vilified for political gains. The selective scrutiny of Israel activities disconnected from any financial or budgetary basis and threatens the integrity of this Committee's work. This biased approach has no place in the Fifth Committee and certainly does not make its work more responsible or credible. Israel's position on this issue is well known and has not changed. We completely and utterly reject this false attempt to politicize and undermine the functioning of this Committee. Israel remains committed to supporting the United Nations and to upholding its principle of accountability, transparency, and fair treatment for all member states. Thank you, Madam Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [41:45]: Thank you. As I see no further requests for the floor, Good. We have thus concluded our consideration of this sub-item. I next invite the committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 164, entitled Financing of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. The attention of the committee is drawn to Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.47, entitled Financing of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Uruguay, Mr. Laureano Betancourt. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79/2013 L.47 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? As I see no requests for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I next invite the committee to resume its consideration of agenda item 164, 5, entitled Financing of the United Nations Missions for the Referendum in Western Sahara. The attention of the committee is drawn to Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.48, entitled Financing of the United Nations Missions for the Referendum in Western Sahara, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Hungary. Mrs. Nicoletta Schock. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.48 without a vote? I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? As I see no request for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I now invite the committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 166, entitled Financing of the African Union United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. The attention of the Committee is drawn to Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.37 entitled Financing of the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Singapore Mrs. Noel Tam. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, my take is that the committee wishes to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.37 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? I see no requests for the floor. We have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. I now invite the committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 167, entitled Financing of the Activities Arising from Security Council Resolution 1863/2009. The attention of the committee is drawn to Draft Resolution A/C.5/79/L.1, 49, entitled Financing of the Activities Arising from Security Council Resolution 1863/2009, submitted on the basis of informal consultations coordinated by the representative of Bulgaria, Mrs. Juliana Shikova-Azhelova. Are there any comments on the draft resolution? If there are no comments, may I take it that the Committee wishes to to adopt draft resolution A/C.5/79/L.49 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft resolution is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft resolution? As I see no requests for the floor, We have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. Distinguished delegates, in the context of Agenda Item 155, Administrative and Budgetary Aspects of the Financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, I wish to draw the attention of the committee to the note by the Secretary-General containing document A/C.5/79/33, which in accordance with established prorating procedures in Resolution 50/222 of 7 June 1996, indicating the amounts to be apportioned in respect of each peacekeeping mission, including the prorated rate shares of the support account, the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi, Italy, and the Regional Service Center in Entebbe, Uganda. Under the same agenda item, the committee also has before it a note by the Secretary-General contained in a document A/C.5/79/34 on the approved resources for peacekeeping operations from the period, 1st July 2025 to June 30th, 2026. Are there any comments? My take it that the committee wishes to take note of the information provided by the Secretariat in documents A/C.5/79/33 /34. I hear no objection. It is so decided. We have thus concluded consideration of Agenda Item 155. I now invite the committee to resume its consideration of Agenda Item 137, entitled Review of the Efficiency of the Administrative and Financial Functioning of the United Nations. The attention of the Committee is drawn to the draft decision contained in Document A/C.5/79/L.53 entitled "Questions Deferred for Future Consideration." Are there any comments on the draft decision? If there are no comments, may I take it that the Committee wishes to adopt Draft Decision A/C.5/79/L.53 without a vote. I hear no objection. The draft decision is adopted. Does any delegation wish to make a statement after the adoption of the draft decision? Okay. As I see no request for the floor, we have thus concluded our consideration of this agenda item. Distinguished delegates, we have concluded our consideration of all agenda items before the committee. At the 79th session, and I request the rapporteur to report directly thereon on the General Assembly. Dear colleagues, with adoption of the draft resolutions before us during the second part of this resumed 79th session, we have concluded our work. I would also like to once again express my sincere appreciation to all coordinators for their dedication and hard work. And in this connection, I also wish to acknowledge the work carried out by the representative of Cameroon, Mr. Jean-Bertrand Bihinia. Ghana, Mrs. Dorcas Ogusu Obikiere, and Saudi Arabia, Ms. Manar Al Saleh, as coordinators in addition to those that I already mentioned. So now I open the floor for any delegation to— that wishes to make a statement. And now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Iraq, on behalf of G77 and China. Ambassador, you have the floor. Iraq · G77 + China · Permanent Representative [51:45]: Thank you, Madam Chair. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at this closing session of the second part of the resumed 79th sessions of the Fifth Committee. The group would like to express its appreciation to you, Madam Chair, and to the all bureau members for the leadership and guidance throughout the second resumed session of the 79th session of General Assembly and for successfully concluding your chairmanship. The group also extends its appreciation to the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee led by Léonel, to the coordinators for their hard work, dedication, and the important roles to the role they play to support us in our negotiations. Madam Chair, with respect to the agenda item that we were before the Committee this session, we are pleased to have reached consensus on the Strategic Heritage Plan, which reflects the Group's commitments to the successful implementation of this important United Nations Nations projects in Geneva. The group also welcomes the consensus achieved on the report of the Board of Editors and on the approval of the budgets for the peacekeeping missions. The group notes, notes the number of agenda items that were concluded at the skeletal resolutions Madam Chair, our inability to conclude some of the other agenda items is a matter of concern of our group. In particular, the group regrets the absence of the comprehensive agreement under the agenda item on improving the financial situation in the United Nations. We made very— every attempt to achieve consensus by moving significantly from the— from our position and the true spirit of compromise. It is concerning that we were not able to adopt substantive resolutions on these important matters, especially in identifying steps to address the organization's recurrent liquidity problems. We look forward to continuing discussions on this agenda item during the main part of the 80 sessions. We also find it's regrettable that the Committee was not able to adopt a resolution on cross-cutting issues, close peacekeeping operations. We hope that in the future the Committee will make a greater efforts to have negotiated outcomes and give appropriate guidance to the Secretariat on the management of the organizations. Before concluding, allow me to thank all our negotiating partners, the like-minded plus, and the Russian Federation for their constructive engagements with the Group of 77 and China on several issues during this session. Finally, as we look ahead and to prepare for the For the 18th sessions, the group reaffirms its commitments to always engage constructively in the work of the Fifth Committee in helping this organization deliver on its mandate. I thank you, Madam Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [55:24]: I thank the distinguished Permanent Representative of Iraq on behalf of G77 and China, and now I give the floor to the the English delegate of the European Union. EU · EU [55:36]: Madam Chair, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the member states of the European Union. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Georgia, as well as Monaco, align themselves with the statement. At the outset, allow me to thank you, as well as the members of the Bureau and the coordinators, for your leadership and guidance throughout the session. We also wish to express our sincere appreciation to all members of the Secretariat, both at the headquarters and in the field, for their unwavering dedication and hard work, particularly in the face of ongoing constraints. This second resumed session has remained rightly focused on peacekeeping operations. We welcome the adoption of the Peacekeeping Budget for the 2025-26 financial period, which provides the resources necessary to implement the mandates. However, this outcome can only be meaningful if all Member States pay their assessed contributions in full, on time, and without conditions. Non-payment and late payments undermine decisions, decisions reached in consensus, the integrity of our shared commitments, and jeopardize the safety and effectiveness of all— of personnel on the ground. We also take note with satisfaction of the adoption of the report of the Board of Auditors. The organization will benefit from its comprehensive analysis and recommendation on peacekeeping accounts. We also reached agreement on funding and maintaining the full scope of the Strategic Heritage Plan. A welcome reminder that when we approach complex issues based on technical analysis and with a genuine spirit of compromise, difficult but meaningful outcomes remain within reach. Yet we must acknowledge that too Too often, a non-constructive approach to negotiations by some delegations hamper our ability to reach meaningful compromise, resulting in skeletal resolutions. For the fifth consecutive year, the Committee was unable to provide guidance on the Support Account, the Global Service Center, and Regional Service Center. These peacekeeping support functions are essential. They deserve thorough and substantive consideration, not gridlock and perfunctory approve. Given that the Committee received a dedicated report on the support account and related funding issues, its inability to offer any guidance or develop a consensual analysis is deeply concerning. Regrettable, we had to take no action or defer consideration of several items. The lack of agreement on cross-cutting policies, policy guidance for peacekeeping operations meant that evolving needs in the field remain insufficiently addressed at a time when coherence and adaptability are more necessary than ever. Most disappointing was our handling on the financial situation agenda item, together with the liquidity aspects of closed peacekeeping operations. Here we had both an opportunity and an institutional responsibility to address the organizational pressing liquidity constraints. The proposal on the table would have contributed meaningfully to the long-term financial health of the organization. Having failed to achieve consensus in the course of the session, the Fifth Committee missed an opportunity to tackle one of the most fundamental challenges we face. As throughout the session, the members of the EU who paid their contribution in full and on time will continue to demonstrate their utmost determination to promote structural and sustainable solutions, enabling their organizations to better manage and navigate the liquidity crisis it faces. On this issue, it is our collective responsibility to move forward, not backward. Madam Chair, this outcome should prompt us to reflect on our working methods. One of the most important features of the Fifth Committee is the tradition of reaching decisions by consensus. Our strength lies in the ability to engage in dialogue, debating, analyzing, and seeking solutions that address the needs of all. But this can only continue if we collectively and constructively strive to reach agreement. We also need to find ways to begin our substantive engagement early in the session. Consensus requires sufficient time and space for meaningful dialogue. Genuine negotiations largely took place after the official closure of the session, which is not a sustainable practice. Unrealistic deadlines not only constrain the quality of our deliberation but also create uncertainty that hinders trust and undermines the spirit of the committee. Our working methods must also actively uphold the effective implementation of multilingualism, which is a core function and fundamental value of our organization. Consensus depends not only on trust but also on our shared commitment to constructive engagement, efficient working practices, and focus on practical outcomes. This is the foundation of effective multilateralism. Madam Chair, distinguished colleagues, since this also marks the conclusion of the Fifth Committee's annual session, we would like to take this opportunity to salute you, Madam Chair, and the Bureau. We warmly congratulate you and commend you for your tireless effort in guiding our work throughout the 79th session. Your continued commitment and good spirit have been instrumental in facilitating our discussions. Before closing, allow me to offer a special word of appreciation to the colleagues who will be leaving the committee. Dear colleagues, dear friends, your contributions have left a lasting mark, and your presence will be deeply missed. We wish you all the best in your next endeavors. Thank you, Madam Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:01:17]: I thank the distinguished delegate of the European Union, and now I give the floor to our dear colleague and friend from the mission of Egypt, speaking on behalf of the African Group. Egypt · Africa Group · Hussein [1:01:31]: Thank you very much, dear Chair, and good afternoon, colleagues. The African Group aligns with the remarks delivered by Iraq on behalf of the Group of 77. 7 and China and wishes to add the following points. The African Group welcomes the adoption of the 25-26 peacekeeping budget amounting to about $5.4 billion, including the budgets for peacekeeping missions, support account, as well as the Regional Service Center in Entebbe and the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi. This is particularly important in light of the challenging environments where peacekeeping missions operate and the need to ensure adequate budgets for mandate delivery, prioritizing the safety and security of peacekeepers. I would like to take this opportunity to salute the women and men serving under the UN flag in peacekeeping missions, some of whom make the ultimate sacrifice. Just a few days ago, one peacekeeper from Zambia lost his life in an attack against a MINUSCA patrol. A stark reminder that the numbers we negotiate here have a real impact on the ground, and that underfunding missions does actually risk the lives of peacekeepers. In the same vein, peacekeeping missions should make the maximum effort to leave a positive legacy through quick impact projects and other programmatic activities. We also highlight that there is a need for greater nationalization of functions, and that the Secretary-General needs to expedite and redouble his efforts in this regard. The African Group also encourages strengthened cooperation between United Nations peacekeeping missions and regional and sub-regional organizations, particularly those in host regions. Such collaboration enhances the effectiveness, legitimacy, and sustainability of peace operations by ensuring that mandates are aligned with regional priorities and grounded in local realities. Madam Chair, while the agreement on the budget is important, the African Group is concerned over the inability of the Committee, yet again, to agree on a cross-cutting policy resolution. Moreover, the Group is further concerned over the Committee's not agreeing on negotiated mission-specific policy directives. Despite the long hours spent negotiating these paragraphs,, and the near agreement that was reached between major language proponents. Unfortunately, this year, the Committee has chosen to abandon its duty to provide overall guidance to missions, as well as specific provisions based on the mission's unique context and operational requirements. The Group considers this an alarming regression that risks undermining the peacekeeping pillar of this organization and eroding the trust between host countries and the United Nations. We also find it regrettable that the Committee was not able to adopt a negotiated resolution on support components of peacekeeping, including Support Account, RSCE, and UNLB. We see an urgent need for the Committee to provide comprehensive guidance to the Secretariat on these agenda items. During the session, the Committee also considered other important agenda items. We welcome the agreement on the Strategic Heritage Plan and look forward to its long-awaited completion. Yet we regret the deferral of the item on the UN's financial situation and look forward to engaging on it during the main session under the umbrella of the G77 and China. Madam Chair, we call upon all delegations to give up the trench mentality to exhibit more flexibility and to work together for the greater good of this organization and its member states. I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate you, Madam Chair, on concluding your chairmanship of the Committee in an outstanding professional manner that sets an example for all future chairmanships. I especially want to thank your team, America and Sophia, for the dedication and tireless efforts, as well as your Bureau members who also performed a stellar job. The Group looks forward to working with the incoming Chair, Her Excellency Ambassador Susanna Horvath of Hungary, and her team, as well as with the incoming Bureau. I also want to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation to the members of the African Group, without whom it would have been impossible to put forward the priorities of Africa throughout the entire 79th Session. I remain indebted to them and I wish the incoming Chair the best of luck in the coming session. I would like to conclude by extending our special thanks to the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee under the leadership of Mr. Lionel Berridge, to the staff of the Field Operations Finance Division led by Mr. Calvin Ong, and to Mr. Chandru Ramanathan, the Assistant Secretary General and Controller, who provided invaluable assistance to the Committee in this session and for their professional conduct throughout. I thank you very much and see you in the main session. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:06:43]: Thank you to the distinguished colleague of Egypt speaking on behalf of the African Group. I have to take a few moments, if you allow me, Just to thank you, Hussein, also for all the support that you provided, not only to me but to my team and the whole bureau during this session. A year ago, I was seated next to you when Egypt finished the chairmanship, and you were really smiling and happy, and you just said, "Good luck." Thank you. Thank you for everything. I give the floor now to the distinguished colleague from Kuwait speaking on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Kuwait · GCC [1:07:35]: In the name of God, most compassionate, most merciful, may the peace of God be upon you all. Madam Chair, I am honored to deliver this statement on behalf of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Namely the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, and my country, the State of Kuwait. The GCC would like to align itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the G77 and China. As we conclude the second part of the resumed session of the Fifth Committee, we would like to seize this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to you, Madam Chair, and to the Bureau and all delegations and the colleagues who have contributed to a successful session. We also appreciate the valuable role of the different coordinators for their efforts. We would be remiss not to mention the important and valuable role by the Fifth Committee Secretariat We applaud their continued cooperation with the member states in order to reach a successful outcome. We also applaud the efforts in order to reach an agreement on the peacekeeping budget, allowing the organization to continue delivering its mandate in light of the financial reality. Madam Chair, we express our appreciation for the committee's efforts to address the financial the challenges facing the organization. And while there are concerns that have not been addressed this session, we look forward to more detailed discussions next session. And despite deferring the item on the financial situation, we encourage allocating additional time in order to urge member states to pay their full assessed contributions on time and in full because this will help alleviate the impact of the liquidity crisis. And we look forward to more discussions next session, and we expect greater clarity on the updated contributions. Madam Chair, while we have reached the conclusion of this session, we would also like to wish our dear friends who have had a lasting impact in our journey, we would like to wish them all the success. We wish the best for everyone who is preparing to undertake new assignments or who will return to their capitals. We are certain that their impact will remain firm in this committee. You have been role model to follow in terms of professionalism and excellence, and you have always been a pillar and a reliable source of support in this Committee. Accordingly, Madam Chair, we do not say goodbye to our dear friends, but we rather say see you soon somewhere in the world, and we ask God to always grant you success. Thank you very much. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:10:47]: I thank the distinguished colleague from Kuwait speaking on behalf of GCC. I give the— I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mexico. Mexico [1:11:00]: Thank you very much, Madam Chair. With the conclusion of the second resumed session, we also close the work of the Fifth Committee during the General Assembly's 79th session. A final stocktaking exercise throws up very important results for the organisation. In Italia, these are reflected in products such as the regular budget for 2025. That includes the financing of actions and components under the Pact for the Future, the System of Resident Coordinators, and a new scale of assessment for 2025 to 2027, for example. But it also includes resources for SPMs and the budgets for peacekeeping operations, the Support Account, centres in Brindisi and in Tbilisi, and the crucial decision on the future of the Strategic Heritage Plan in Geneva that was recently adopted. Such results would not have been possible without the staunch and constructive commitment of this Committee to the United Nations, multilateralism, and fundamentally to those who most require the protection afforded by multilateral action. But neither would these results have been possible without the ongoing support constancy and the sense of duty of the Bureau that you have headed with sage leadership, transparency, and a tireless sense of responsibility for building consensus. My gratitude also extends to the coordinators, the Secretariat, of course, and the Secretary of the Fifth Committee. Once again, I confirm the value of the Secretariat's work and of the tireless support extended by them for the success of our works. In a landscape marked by budgetary restrictions, growing financial tri— trials and the commotion caused by a reform in the pipeline at the United Nations with a so-called UN 80 on the horizon, this committee has been able to preserve its vocation as a reconciler to achieve agreements. However, there remain challenges around how member states view the financial health of the organization should be cured. We believe that this situation deserves particular attention, and we trust that the committee will continue to constructively analyze analyse the details of the situation in the upcoming session, this with a view to achieving the necessary consensus to adopt measures which free up financial breathing room for the organisation and provide certainty regarding its future. To conclude, I thank you, the Bureau, and everyone here, a well-deserved rest. Have a wonderful summer. To those concluding their cycle with this cycle in the Committee, we wish you every success in your new duties and destinations. And to the incoming Chair, We wish you every success. You can have the decisive— count on the decisive commitment of Mexico. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:13:38]: Thank you. I thank the distinguished representative of Mexico. I agree with this idea of a well-deserved rest. I now give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [1:13:54]: Madam Chair, on behalf of my delegation, I would like to express my sincerest thanks to you for your excellent leadership and my appreciation to the Bureau and the 5C Secretariat for all your hard work over these last few weeks. Let me also take a moment to pay tribute to the Zambian peacekeeper in MINUSCA who was killed just last week. This is a sobering reminder of how much the brave men and women in blue helmets' sacrifice in our common pursuit of global peace and security, and the gratitude and responsibility we owe them. Madam Chair, the Fifth Committee has achieved some important successes. The passage of the Peacekeeping Budget for 2025-2026 today will enable the UN to deliver on much-needed mandates to maintain and advance peace in parts of the world severely affected by conflict. As a committee, we resolved the problematic ACABQ recommendation on MINUSCO— on the MINUSCO budget so that the mission has the necessary resources it needs to pivot according to needs on the ground during an uncertain time. As Fifth Committee delegates, we succeeded in identifying almost $8.5 million of additional efficiencies in the overall peacekeeping budget. The maximum— the new maximum cost for the Strategic Heritage Plan was approved in recognition of the vital role that UN Geneva plays in a strong multilateral system. With robust prioritization of renovation and modernization of the Palais des Nations, and the UN campus in Geneva. However, the United Kingdom would like to emphasize our disappointment that as Fifth Committee delegates, we were unable to reach consensus on items we deem achievable and necessary, such as modest efficiencies in the Support Account and UNLB and RSCE. The United Kingdom also reiterates our commitment to achieving a creative and constructive consensus on cross-cutting policy and emphasizes the importance of providing the Secretariat with guidance on these issues. We call on all Fifth Committee delegates to base their positions on technical budget analysis and data, as our collective responsibility responsibility is to ensure the UN budget is effective and efficient. Increased protection and politicization of technical topics constrains progress and benefits no one. We must negotiate and engage in good faith to achieve consensus in a timely manner. It is our duty to our own governments as well as this organization. The United Kingdom is particularly disappointed by this committee's inability to reach consensus on measures to improve the United Nations financial situation. Member States each have their own fiscal constraints. Therefore, it is imperative that we prioritize predictable and stable financial contributions to the United Nations and in turn ensure that the finite resources go further through effective and efficient budgets for mandate implementation. Madam Chair, we urge all colleagues to reflect on the most recent set of discussions and to arrive at the main session ready for compromise and with contributions fulfilled. The United Nations cannot fulfill its mandate without a radical change in the way Fifth Committee improves its practical working methods to secure a effective budgets behind mandate implementation. The opportunities which UNAT presents require a functioning Fifth Committee, so let us rise to the challenge. Madam Chair, as this is your last session as the Chair of the Fifth Committee, the United Kingdom would like to express our sincere appreciation for your outstanding leadership, recognizing how you have chaired the Fifth Committee with strength and grace and applying just the right amount of pressure to us as member states. Lastly, I wish to close by wishing you all and everyone in the room today and all those in the broader UN family a restive and reflective summer. Thank you. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:18:41]: Muchísimas gracias. Um, thank you very much. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of the United United States. United States of America [1:18:52]: Madam Chair, first off, thank you and congratulations on finishing your term as the steward of the 79th session. The United States is pleased by the outcome of the second resumed session of the Fifth Committee. We'd like to thank you, the Secretariat, and all of our Five Seas colleagues for their hard work and dedication over the past 2 months. Today, the Fifth Committee has ensured that the UN will have sufficient resources to perform its core function of maintaining international peace and security. We have adopted a fiscally responsible peacekeeping budget of $5.38 billion for the 2025-2027 2026 fiscal year, a reduction of nearly $110 million from the SG's proposal. We have reaffirmed that Board of Auditor recommendations do not negate existing prerogatives and decisions of the General Assembly. We have approved a new methodology to rationalize the support functions that backstop peacekeeping missions as the UN system undertakes the UN-80— initiative, we encourage the Secretary General to utilize the same data-driven approach to find efficiencies and eliminate redundancies. We look forward to discussing revised estimates for the Support Account in the 80th Main Session. We also welcome the successful outcome on the Strategic Heritage Project, providing necessary funding to complete the important modernization of UN offices in Geneva. While we have much to celebrate today, we were again unable to agree on a cross-cutting policy resolution this year. As member states, we abdicate our responsibility as overseers of the peacekeeping system when we fail to provide policy guidance to the Secretariat. We also regret that no decision was reached on closed PKOs and that the organization's financial situation was again deferred, especially over maintaining the status quo use of special commitments, an important tool for managing the liquidity crisis. I thank you. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:21:14]: I thank the distinguished representative of the United States. I now give the floor to the representative of Japan. Japan · Atsu Fujinuma [1:21:21]: Thank you, Madam Chair. Allow me to begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to you, Ambassador, for your strong leadership in guiding us throughout this session. Your presence during decisive times, including last weekend and the late hours, was felt in the Committee, and we thank you for your dedication and commitment. As we look back at the 8 weeks of negotiations and where we are today, I believe that we as the Fifth Committee were able to do our job to provide the adequate resources needed to MONUSCO, but also to all the other peacekeeping missions, so that each of the 10 missions and the support functions can deliver on its mandate and ensure peace and security in places from Somalia to Syria to South Sudan. Madam Chair, during the session we were also able to agree on the Strategic Heritage Plan, putting an end to the long discussion of renovation and construction projects. We believe that this final budget will be of importance to protecting and honoring the history while also ensuring modernization and accessibility as well as improving working conditions and safety of the organizations in Geneva. Unfortunately, however, we were unable to give the necessary guidance to the Secretariat on not only the cross-cutting issues of peacekeeping operations but also in tackling the liquidity crisis. The Fifth Committee can work together with the Secretariat to resolve these outstanding fiscal challenges, and Japan looks forward to continuing to discuss intensively in the coming weeks and months. Madam Chair, on a very personal note, this will be my last session and my last time to speak in the Fifth Committee. It has been an honor to serve and work over the 9 sessions spanning 3 years, and I'm thankful to all our brothers and sisters of the Fifth Committee as we worked side by side and across the aisle. I want to thank each and one of you for your camaraderie, to my friends in the like-minded group the pluses, the Group of 77 in China, the Russian Federation, and all member states, as well as to the Secretariat, especially the Fifth Committee Secretariat and our DMSBC team, Lionel, Kelvin, and Chandru, and of course my fellow 5C Team Japan. Finally, my gratitude goes out to all the men and women in uniform in UN peacekeeping missions, the peacekeepers, for protecting peace for all of us. I thank you, Madam Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:23:45]: I thank the distinguished representative of Japan, and I thank you for all of the work that you've done. I wish you every success in everything to follow. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of China. China [1:24:03]: Madam Chair, China associates itself with the statement made by Iraq on behalf of G77 and China and would like to make the following additional comments. First, as the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and as a major TCC, China stands for allocating the necessary resources for peacekeeping mandates. After almost 2 months of tough consultations, the committee reached consensus on a peacekeeping budget of close to $5.4 billion for 2025-2026. We hope that the Secretariat and the peacekeeping missions will cherish their precious resources and effectively fulfill their core mandates of supporting political process and consolidating peace, while improving efficiency in fund utilization and creating more savings. We hope that the Secretariat will strictly implement VOA recommendations seriously end all forms of waste of funds and resources, and strengthen coordination and communication with PKO host countries to reduce the safety and security risks for peacekeepers. We call on the Secretariat to work harder to increase the participation of developing countries in peacekeeping, particularly those underrepresented in the UN. Second, With the financial difficulties and the liquidity challenge, the yuan is facing the most severe liquidity crisis of recent years. The largest contributor in total disregard of its obligations was in arrears. This is the root cause of the liquidity crisis. Mitigating the liquidity crisis requires efforts to address both the symptoms and the root causes. Short-term temporary initiatives won't make lasting solutions. At its resumed session, the Fifth Committee held in-depth discussions on the financial situation of the organization. We look forward to continuing our deliberations on the financial situation with all parties at the 80th session. Third, the Strategic Heritage Plan is a project of the largest scale and with the highest budget among all the ongoing construction projects in the UN, which has lasted nearly 10 years but is yet to be completed. With the joint efforts of all, the Fifth Committee reached consensus on granting it additional budgetary resources. We hope that the Secretariat and the project team will demonstrate a greater sense of urgency, meet the deadline, and fulfill their responsibilities, control costs, and increase procurement from the developing countries. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all delegates of the Committee, to thank all the teams and the Secretariat for their tremendous efforts and dedication during this session. Once again, I would like to thank and congratulate the Chair of the Fifth Committee, Ambassador López, and her team for their outstanding and fruitful work at the Fifth Committee during the 79th GA session since last September. I wish Hungary every success in its capacity as the Chair of the Fifth Committee during the 80th session. I also wish all colleagues who are going to assume new responsibilities all the best. Thank you, Chair. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:27:34]: I thank the distinguished representative of China. And I've been told that our dear Chandru wishes to issue a few remarks. Chandru, you have the floor. UN Secretariat · ASG and Controller · Chandru Ramanathan [1:27:47]: Thank you, Madam Chair, distinguished delegates. Real pleasure to see you finish early. I've almost forgotten that I'm usually around to remind you that the sun is rising and you need to finish on time. So, it's a real pleasure that they didn't have— I'm sure the chair was on your back, but I never once had to call anybody. So I think it's a real, real improvement. And I must also say, in a time when there is so much division everywhere, I always tell my staff that we should not underestimate the power of consensus. You managed somehow to find common ground. 3 times a year. I only wish you had gone a little bit further to solve one of the underlying problems of the UN which has been plaguing us for 80 years. So while we all took a lot of pride in how the budget has been approved, in this room, think about 7 or 8 years ago when the SG presented the report on improving the financial situation, he spoke like a professor. And there was one member state who took the floor and said, 'But SG, we don't need your report.' And he said, 'Why not?' He says, 'No, the second resumed session is very important for us for discussing peacekeeping budgets.' And the SG's response was very simple. He said, 'What do I need the budget for? I can't execute it anyway.' So I just want to give this sobering assessment that much as the world needs peacekeeping, and much as you have done and recognized the contribution of peacekeepers in the UN, this problem that's been plaguing the UN for 80 years is a solvable problem that's not getting solved when you find somehow ways to solve many more difficult problems. So I would sincerely hope that you will continue the effort from the first resumed session into this session and find some common ground to resolve a problem. And I want to leave you with this sobering reflection. People are losing faith in the entire budget process. Please do not underestimate. What we have seen now is a plan that is presented to the CPC. Most of the plans have not been recommended. 2 out of 28. A budget process in which the budget is approved and the day after you approve the budget I send out an instruction saying 20% cut, 15% cut, 10% cut. The UN staff is progressively losing faith in the entire budget process and has begun to think it's a complete waste of time. The commitment to deliver, you can keep exhorting. I was in the General Assembly plenary yesterday when member state after member state took the floor and emphasized so many important things, but underlying all of that is no money, no implementation. There's not enough cash. I cannot emphasize enough a massive effort needed on your side to somehow take us over that line and deal with a problem that's plagued the UN for the last so many years. Having made that appeal to you, let me also take this opportunity again to thank all of you for recognizing a problem that was being denied a few years ago. There's so much recognition in your own statements about the importance of solving this problem, so it's just a matter of finding some compromise that allows us to function better and Let me also take this opportunity, Chair. It takes bravery to become a Chair of the Fifth Committee. So I can only say that I see you like retiring staff in the UN. I always joke about them. Those who retire from the UN look younger and happier. And the same thing applies to the Fifth Committee Chair. I look younger and happier. Absolutely. I could see her smiling so much just as she was walking. The thought of leaving the 5th Committee chair itself is something. But again, I must say that this committee's job is probably one of the most difficult ones. So you can also extrapolate that to my task, right? Kind of difficult task to manage. So my very sincere thanks. I always like to look at things very, very positively. And I think there's always a lot to take away from the way in which this committee has done its work. So my sincere thanks to all of you, and I really hope you get to enjoy some time off and come back in October determined to solve our longstanding problems. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:32:40]: Thank you. Well, thank you, Chandu, for first telling me that I look young and happy. I really appreciate that, and it's It's been an honor working with you. Thank you for all the support that you provide me since we were preparing actually to assume our tenure. Thank you. Thank you so much. Okay, good. So, colegas, Colleagues, this is the last time that I'm going to address you as chair of this committee. Like other speakers— microphone for the speaker, please. Como otros oradores, as other speakers have done, I first wish to acknowledge and honor the work of all the women and men that serve under the United Nations flag in peacekeeping operations. And I also wish to convey my condolences following the recent loss of life. As I've said on previous occasions, the work that you do here is not that of solely establishing the budget We're not only talking about numbers here. It's not only about establishing mandates, providing policy. What you do in this room and in the other negotiating rooms within this organization allows the United Nations to operate, to discharge mandates. But it also allows the UN to meet the expectations of all of those who continue to place trust in the UN flag. So the work that you do allows this organization to fulfill its promises. And I'm saying this to you on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter. That anniversary is indeed tomorrow. As such, I thank you and I recognize all of the work that you do, your commitment and the resilience that you have within you. I know that sometimes, perhaps at some points, I was there nagging at you until the small hours of the morning but I was also supporting everything you do in doing that. It was a way of supporting you. Yes, perhaps I was trying to put pressure on you at some time, some moments, but my idea was that we work together as a team because that was also one of the things that I was trying to do, the backbones of support that I was trying to give you as a committee. And thanks to the Bureau and the Secretariat, I could do what I set out to do. I thank you for your work. Unfortunately, often that work went far outside the working day, went on into the evenings. I won't repeat everything that you've just said, but we do need to think about everything else that we can achieve. And to achieve those things, there needs to be an analysis, a careful look at why things don't work sometimes, and a careful introspective look at how we can improve things. It's no longer up to me to do that, but I leave that with you. As something to think about in addition to everything else that's been said here. As you are aware, our line of work is marked by constant change. That is a privilege that allows us to learn from exceptional people and a privilege that sometimes means that we're forced to say goodbye, or at least until next time. When our paths will cross again. So before concluding, I'd like us to take a moment to bid a warm farewell to the colleagues that will soon leave this committee. We already heard from a few of them. I wish to thank all of you for your contributions to our work, particularly during this session. Throughout this session, I personally have witnessed your perseverance and your staunch commitment, and without a doubt, these have both been vital in allowing us to successfully conclude our work and enjoy a well-deserved rest. I'm going to list all of those who I'm aware of as leaving us. I do hope I don't leave anyone out, but thank you to each and every one of you. It's been a great honor to share this room with you this year. Mr. Basile Bogarts from Belgium, Denis Ishikawa dos Santos from Brazil, Richard Tour de la Concepción from Cuba, Shani Duong from Cambodia, Mr. René Selený from Czechia, Mr. Éric Fournier from France, Ms. Karina Ratnamuri from Indonesia, Ms. Zoe Brasch of Israel, Xavier Belmonte Rodan of Spain, Mr. Mathews Kosuth from Slovakia, Ms. Tina Julia Parvianien from Finland, Inga Dahlin of Norway, Shaleen Kumnaram from Mauritius, Mr. Niels Nervoet from Netherlands, Mr. Cao Quan Pham of Vietnam, Mr. Atsu Fujinuma from Japan, Franziska Bundy, Ute Bojesek, and Mr. Hannes Scheidner from Germany, Ms. Basma Gaber from the delegation of the European Union, and my vice chairs, Szymon Pekala of Poland and Surat Suwanika from Thailand. Once again, I thank you and I wish you every success in your futures. No dudo. I don't doubt that you will shine wherever you go. Now I want to recognize the work of my whole bureau. Joanna, Ele, Shimon, and Shurat. I'm going to miss our weekly meetings. I know that you don't like getting up so early, Joanna, but you always arrive nevertheless with a large smile and determined to succeed. Thank you for working with me. Thank you. Thank you for your support. Thank you also for believing in me. I think our spirit of collaboration and our tireless work throughout the session has been vital to take difficult decisions, overcome obstacles, and achieve lofty results together. Jointly, we did that as a bureau. I have been deeply fortunate to have you as members of the Bureau, and I'm proud to have shared this forum with all of you. I also want to take a few minutes to express gratitude for the work of the Fifth Committee Secretariat: Lionel, Tomoko, Sarah, Geraldine, Regina, Shihuan, Shihiro, Diogo, Arina, Lourdes, Thank you. Thank you for your work. Thank you for always answering all of my messages. Thank you for your guidance. It's all been vital for us to achieve what we have. I also wish to thank you not only for everything you do, but I want to express my admiration for you and your resilience. For everything you do so meticulously every day. Believe me, I've learned a great deal from each and every one of you. My team and myself will be deeply grateful for everything, forever. I particularly wish to thank our colleagues in the Advisory Committee, ACABQ, and particularly its chair, Ms. Juliana Gaspar-Ruiz. I'd like to thank every colleague in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance. Compliance led by the impressive Ms. Catherine Pollard. I wish to extend particular thanks to our dear Chandru Ramanathan for his wisdom and patience with our questions. Thank you for everything, Chandru. My gratitude during this session is also to be expressed to Mr. Colvinor whose support was crucial for the timely conclusion of our work. Thank you for working so late to support us always. Thanks to your team. I also wish to recognize and congratulate the incoming Bureau for the next session. I feel deeply fortunate to pass the baton on to an excellent diplomat. And how wonderful it is for me to be able to say that this person is one of my very best friends. I think that's something unique. It's unique to work with someone as exceptional as you are, but also to be able to share a friendship at the same time. And I know that you'll do this job in the best possible way. Ambassador Susanna. I also wish to congratulate Balderine Bahid of Sudan, Mohammad Taghi Almory of Iran, Eric Björk from Sweden, and Vadim Belloni from Chile. We are here for whatever you may need to ensure a transition process which will allow us to build on everything we've done, but also we're here to share our experiences and lessons learned. And as I was said by— as I was told by Hussein a year ago, good luck. I would be remiss if I did not thank two people. That have been key. The chair of— the chairwomanship of El Salvador would not have been successful if it hadn't been for my dear colleagues Sophia Maya and Americarera. Thank you for everything. Thank you, Sophie. Thank you, America, also for trusting in me and for supporting me. Thank you. And I'm going to break with protocol, if I may. I'm going to break with protocol. A week ago, You read me a poem. And you read it in front of all of your friends. And today, as I did then, I want to thank you before this committee for your patience. I want to thank you for all your love, your understanding, and for remembering me, my darling daughter, Thank you for everything. Thank you for being my anchor and for supporting me in everything. Thank you, darling daughter. Thank you to my family for supporting me. Thank you. Bueno, me gustaría— okay. I'd just like to open the floor for a few minutes if any colleague leaving us might wish perhaps to take a few moments and say a few words. I now give that opportunity to the colleague from Israel. Israel · Zoe Brasch [1:47:16]: Thank you, Madam Chair, for giving me the floor, and I probably should have pressed my microphone soon. I was very feeling a bit shy, but thank you. In the closing session, I just wanted to acknowledge and thank you for your leadership and dedication in the Fifth Committee. It's really been an honor and a pleasure to work under your leadership as a member state and a facilitator. I'd like to thank the Bureau and facilitators for their hard efforts, and a special thank you to Secretariat for their unwavering support for the Fifth Committee and for sitting with us during those long hours of negotiations. And a special shout out to Geraldine and Sarah, who I worked very with. As this is my final year in the Fifth Committee after 3 years in my personal capacity, I would like to wish all my friends and colleagues a farewell and thank you for all the lessons I have learnt, and a special shout out to the pluses. To all my distinguished colleagues who I've sat across from for 3 years but not spoken to personally, I wish you well and I pray for more peaceful times in the Middle East. The work we do here in the Fifth Committee is very important, and I wish the committee all the success for for the upcoming main session. Madam Chair, thank you for your leadership and strength, and I wish you all the best. Thank you, Chair, for giving me the floor. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:48:18]: Muchísimas gracias. Many thanks indeed, and I wish you every success. My Vice Chair, Szymon from Poland. Poland · Vice-Chair · Szymon Pekala [1:48:31]: Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't know if the getting younger thing applies to the Vice Chairs as well. I apologize for taking the floor again, and I promise a very concise, uh, a skeletal intervention, if you will. Since this is the last time I'm taking the floor in the Fifth Committee, I would be remiss if I did not say a few words of gratitude. And first of all, on behalf of not only me but also other members of the Bureau, I would like to sincerely thank you Madam Chair, for your leadership and taking upon yourself this difficult task of presiding over our very necessary but very extended deliberations with crucial support of America and Sophia. Many thanks to my fellow members of the Bureau, Johanna, Elaye, Surat, and to our colleagues from the Secretariat, Lionel and his excellent team, for the expert advice, patience, and availability. ASG Controller, thank you for your kind remarks and always kind reminders that we are owing you money. We remember that. Calvin, thank you as a representative of the big secretariat for all the information that you always provide us for our deliberations. I would like to thank the members of the group of Eastern European states. I had the privilege I represent in the Bureau, as well as all colleagues I negotiated with in 5C. I learned a lot from you and I hold you in the highest regard, whether we were sitting on the same side of CR5 or on the opposite sides. It was indeed the highest honor to represent Poland and to speak on behalf of my own country and on behalf of our dear friends, member states of the European Union in this and other rooms. I strongly believe that the Fifth Committee is backbone of the United Nations, and as none of us is really indispensable, this committee indeed is. I wish you all the best in the next and following sessions, to Hungary as the new chair and to the members of the new Bureau. I wish you only consensual negotiated outcomes in pursuit of efficiency. Never no action, always being able to leave early for Christmas. Speaking of which, I would like to also thank my wife and for her patience when I was not coming back early to help her with preparations. And not deferring this moment any longer. Thank you, and I hope to see you again soon. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:51:19]: Bravo, Vice Chair. Thank you. Now I give the floor to Belgium. Belgium · Basile Bogarts [1:51:27]: Senhora Presidente, Madam Chair, thank you so much for giving me the floor. I would be remiss if I didn't say a few words. I'll keep it very brief. 4 years in the presidency later, I'm not sure I look younger. However, It has been an incredible journey. I value and I deeply cherish the Fifth Committee community where we are all pluses. I think we have demonstrated time and time again incredible professionalism, both my colleagues delegates as well as the Secretariat, the Bureau, again and again. We display this professionalism, but we also display humanity, and I think this shows itself in a myriad of ways. In the few times that I have had to excuse myself during some of these negotiations and have had to ask a colleague from my delegation to stand in, they have been bewildered by the combination of late nights, hard work, technicity, but also camaraderie that we display in this committee. So I will not keep you any longer. I would say that our goodbyes are merely, if I dare say it, deferred. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Muchísimas gracias. El Salvador · Chair · López [1:52:37]: Many thanks indeed. Now I switch to English. So I would like to conclude the session by informing delegations that details on when the GA will take action on the related Fifth Committee reports will be reflected in the journal in due course. As I said before, this is my last time, not only in this seat but addressing you as Chair of this Committee. I won't be able to be with you in the adoption of all these decisions and resolutions in the General Assembly, so as I guess it has become a tradition, I invite you to go at the back so we can take a family picture also with the Secretariat. And can I also— I'm sorry, breaking the protocol a little bit, but can I request the presence of the Permanent Representative of Hungary, Ambassador Hovrat, to join us in the podium, please? And I request all of you, please, not to stand up after the gavel. Because what I'm going to do is to close the session, but also pass the gavel to the incoming chair of this committee. So, Sofia America. As I said, I couldn't have done this alone. So, okay, okay. So I declare conclude the work of the Fifth Committee during the second part of the resumed 79th session of the General Assembly. Mwen alosi. Hungary · Incoming Chair · Susanna Horvath [1:55:03]: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Breaking the protocol again. Yes, deviating from all the rules and procedures. I just would like to congratulate you on successfully concluding the Fifth Committee. I know that the able leadership of of ECRI Zelda, and of course, thanks to your dedication, the Fifth Committee was able to navigate complex issues and reach strong consensus outcome whenever and wherever it was possible. So keep up the good work and see you in the fall. See you in the fall. Gracias. Thank you. Thank you.