87/31.  United Nations Fund for Population Activities: financial, budgetary and administrative matters

The Governing Council

   Having considered the budget estimates of the administrative and programme support services for the l988-l989 biennium (DP/l987/41), the annual review of the financial situation for l986 (DP/l987/42), the audited accounts of executing agencies (DP/l987/43) and the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (DP/l987/44),

   Having taken into account the views and comments of members of the Council on the documentation before it,

   Recalling its decision 85/20 of 29 June 1985,

   1.  Approves appropriations in the amount of $59,523,700 gross, to be allocated from the resources indicated below to finance the l988-l989 biennial budget for the administrative and programme support services, and agrees that the overhead credits available to the Fund in the estimated amount of $3,800,000 and the miscellaneous income from trust funds for support services in the amount of $400,000 shall be used to offset the gross appropriations, resulting in net appropriations of $55,323,700 as indicated below:

l988-l989 biennial budget

(thousands of US dollars)

             2.  Authorizes the Executive Director to transfer credits between programmes within reasonable limits, with the concurrence of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions; and requests her to report thereon to the Council;

             3.  Approves the transfer of the 31 General Service temporary posts at headquarters to the category of established, regular posts in the administrative and programme support services budget;

   4.  Also approves the establishment, in the administrative and programme support services budget for the biennium l988-l989, of nine international programme officer posts located in those countries in which a deputy representative of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities has been posted;

   5.  Decides to include in the regular administrative and programme support services budget for the biennium l988-l989, on a temporary basis, 289 local posts, with all corresponding posts currently financed by project funds to be abolished;

   6.  Requests the Executive Director, bearing in mind the priorities of the field programmes, particularly of the strategy of assistance to sub-Saharan Africa in the framework of decision 87/32, to undertake and submit to the Governing Council at its thirty-fifth session (1988), a review of overall staffing requirements in the field and at headquarters; in order to achieve the most effective organizational structure in relation to the Fund's priorities and resources, particular attention shall be paid to the possibility of merging units with a view to reaching more balanced distribution and classification of posts;

   7.  Approves in principle the results of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities/United Nations Development Programme job classification, and decides that the actual implementation, effective from 1 January l988, shall be subject to the outcome of overall staffing review requested in paragraph 6;

   8.  Notes with satisfaction the measures already introduced in response to paragraph 3, section I, of decision 85/20 of 29 June l985 and paragraph 5 of decision 86/35 of 27 June 1986, regarding savings and economies in all categories of expenditure, including staffing;

   9.  Takes note of the annual financial review (DP/l987/42) for l986 and requests the Executive Director to continue to submit such reviews at future sessions;

   l0. Also takes note of the audited accounts of executing agencies (DP/l987/43).