Sixth Committee (Legal) — 78th session
Programme planning (Agenda item 135)
Summary of work
Background (source: A/78/100/Add.1)
At its seventy-second session, under the item entitled “Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations”, the General Assembly approved the proposed change from a biennial to an annual budget period on a trial basis, beginning with the programme budget for 2020. The Assembly also decided that the proposed programme budget document would consist of three parts: (a) part I: the plan outline, which endorses the long-term priorities and the objectives of the Organization; (b) part II: the programme plan for programmes and subprogrammes and programme performance information; and (c) part III: the post and non-post resource requirements for the programmes and subprogrammes. It further decided that parts I and II would be submitted through the Committee for Programme and Coordination and part III through the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for the consideration of the Assembly. The Assembly reiterated that the Committee for Programme and Coordination and the Advisory Committee should examine the proposed programme budget in accordance with their respective mandates and, preserving the sequential nature of the review processes, submit their conclusions and recommendations to the Assembly for the final approval of the programme budget, and requested the Secretary-General to assess the impact of the changes to the budgetary cycle on the work of the relevant subsidiary bodies of the Assembly (resolution 72/266 A).
At its seventy-seventh session, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to present any proposed changes to the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the Methods of Evaluation for the consideration of the General Assembly (resolution 77/267).
At the same session, the Assembly decided to extend the length of session of the Committee for Programme and Coordination to five weeks, starting from the sixty-third session of the Committee. The Assembly also decided that the sessions of the Committee for Programme and Coordination should end no later than mid-June to ensure more time for substantial deliberation of the programmes and consultation with relevant United Nations bodies, starting from the sixty-fourth session of the Committee, in 2024. In addition, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to assess a procedure to inform the Advisory Committee of possible resource implications that may result from the recommendations of the Committee for Programme and Coordination, for the consideration of the General Assembly, to address the sequential nature of the review process under the annual cycle (resolution 77/267).
Also at the same session, the Assembly also decided that the Fifth Committee will consider the report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination at the earliest opportunity during the main part of the sessions of the General Assembly, under the agenda item entitled “Programme planning”, and no later than the first week of November. The Assembly also requested the Secretary-General to ensure that all the Main Committees have access on their Committee Places of the e-deleGATE portal, for information purposes, before the start of the session, to the programmes of the proposed programme budget and the latest report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (resolution 77/267).
Also at its seventy-seventh session, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to ensure a strong culture of responsibility and accountability, compliance with regulations and rules, and the achievement of results. Furthermore, the Assembly requested to ensure effective and efficient utilization of available resources and programme delivery by programme managers, including through clearly defined results-based performance indicators and benchmarks (resolution 77/267).
Consideration at the seventy-eighth session
The Sixth Committee considered the item at its 5th meeting, on 4 October 2023 (see A/C.6/78/SR.5). The Committee was informed that no reports were allocated to it under the agenda item.
Archived videos and summaries of plenary meetings
5th meeting (4 October 2023, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
Action taken by the Sixth Committee
At the 5th meeting, on 4 October, the Sixth Committee concluded its consideration of the item without taking action.
Subsequent action taken by the General Assembly
- Report of the Sixth Committee: A/78/445
- GA decision: 78/518 [for the text of the decision, see the Sixth Committee's report to the General Assembly]
This agenda item will be considered at the seventy-ninth session (2024).
