Statement by Her Excellency Mutryce Williams, Permanent Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations, on Behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on the Organisation of the Work of the Fifth Committee

Madame Chair,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the fourteen (14) member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), on the organization of the work of the Fifth Committee for the Main Part of the 79th Session. CARICOM aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uganda on
behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Madame Chair,
CARICOM wishes to, at the outset, extend our congratulations to you for your election to the Chairmanship of the Fifth Committee for the 79th Session. We are pleased that El Salvador, a fellow member of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, has taken on this crucial role. We have every confidence in your ability to guide the work of the Committee in a manner that will ensure a timely and successful conclusion, over the next few months. We also extend congratulations to the members of your Bureau, whose important task it will be to support you in your efforts. Please be assured of CARICOM’s full support and collaboration with you and your team, as you carry out the important task of leading us through this session.

CARICOM also expresses its gratitude to your predecessor, His Excellency Osama Abdelkhalek Mahmoud, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations, who, through his strong and able leadership and along with the hard work of his dedicated Bureau, saw the timely and successful conclusion of the 78th Session of the Fifth Committee.

CARICOM wishes to convey its appreciation to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for the invaluable expertise that they continue to provide. We also thank the hardworking Fifth Committee Secretariat for their invaluable support and anticipate receiving the usual technical advice and guidance from them.

Madame Chair,
There are a number of important items which the Fifth Committee will be tasked to confront during this session. CARICOM wishes to express its gratitude to you for preparing and issuing the programme of work. In addition to the usual agenda items, we note that this year will see the consideration of the scales of assessment for the apportionment of the expenses of the UN. We wish to reiterate, therefore, in light of the heavy workload that lies ahead, the importance of the timely issuance of official documentation from the Secretariat as well as the ACABQ, to ensure our fullest consideration of all agenda items.

CARICOM will be paying close attention to several areas, such as the budgetary implications of the decisions emanating from the Pact of the Future and its annexes, as well as the agenda items concerning special political missions, disarmament, cybercrime, the administration of justice, climate change and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), all important issues for our group, and we believe it is also important for improved considerations of approaches for sustainable multilateralism.

CARICOM also wishes to reiterate the importance of conducting the work of the Committee in a manner that is open, inclusive, timely and transparent, to ensure the full and equal participation of all member states in the important work of the Fifth Committee.

Madame Chair,
CARICOM reiterates its full cooperation and constructive engagement with all partners for a successful outcome of this 79th Session. We look forward to having fruitful discussions and extend our best wishes to you for a successful Chairmanship.

I thank you.