Secretariat

Budget Estimates and Management Survey: Part III of the Report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions was considered by the administrative and budgetary committee of the Assembly in its deliberations on the Secretary-General's budget estimates for the Secretariat. In addition, the committee had before it the revised budget estimates based on the Secretariat management survey, which had been instituted by the Secretary-General after the first session of the Assembly for the purpose of remedying defects in the structure of the Secretariat; its reports were internal administrative documents. At the time the Assembly committee considered the survey it was noted that the summary report was incomplete, notably with regard to the Geneva Office, the Languages Division and the Editorial Division. During discussion the Assistant Secretary-General for Administrative and Financial Services (Price) explained that the Secretary-General had studied the recommendations of the management survey and had accepted the general conclusions reached, and that he supported the recommendation of a reduction in the expected costs of maintaining Secretariat departments. Although the report of the survey made proposals for consolidations and transfers of functions, it was the opinion of the Secretary-General that no final decisions could be reached on administrative matters without full discussion among officials of the Secretariat; such discussions were not feasible during the second session of the General Assembly. A proposal to create a subcommittee to examine the survey met with considerable opposition in the administrative and budgetary committee, since it was felt by many delegates that the report should be left to the Advisory Committee and the Secretary-General for their consideration in the matter of administration on a restricted budget.