CP/RES. 845 (1367/03)

AUTHORIZATION OF AN ADJUSTMENT TO OBJECT 1:
PERSONNEL COSTS FOR 2003

THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,

CONSIDERING:

That operative section III(A)(1)(a) of resolution AG/RES.1909 (XXXII-O/02), the 2003 Program-Budget Resolution, authorizes the Secretary General “to adjust the personnel structure of the General Secretariat and to fill posts provided that total object 1 expenses for the year 2003 do not exceed US$46,378,400;”

That pursuant to the salary policy of parity with the United Nations set out in Article 40 of the General Standards Governing the Operations of the General Secretariat, the Secretary General has complied with his legal obligations to implement, effective January 1, 2003, unforeseen increases in the Secretariat’s net basic salaries and, effective April 1, 2003, higher than foreseen increases in the post adjustment for the Washington, D.C., headquarters professional staff;

RECOGNIZING that the $524,000 appropriation for a post adjustment planned for in the 2003 program-budget resolution AG/RES. 1909 (XXXII-O/02) was not sufficient to implement the above referenced increases, which amount to a total of US $1,512,700, and will cause the total of object 1 expenses for 2003 to exceed the above-mentioned US$46,378,400 limitation; and

BEARING IN MIND that pursuant to its authority under Article 91(b) of the Charter and Article 100 of the General Standards Governing the Operations of the General Secretariat, the Permanent Council may approve special appropriations requested by the Secretary General “which he deems indispensable for dealing with situations unforeseen in the approved Program Budget…in the event the Permanent Council approves such special appropriations, it shall determine the source of their funding,”

RESOLVES:

1.     To increase the appropriation under Object 1 of the 2003 Program-Budget by raising the amount stated in paragraph III(A)(1)(a) of resolution AG/RES.1909 (XXXII-O/02) to US$47,388,400.

2.     To instruct the Secretary General to take the following measures to finance the revised Object 1 appropriation as follows:

a.     Establish an immediate hiring freeze until December 31, 2003, against the vacant posts listed in the Annex to this resolution, financed by the Regular Fund, which should result in savings of $502,707 in object 1.

b.     Reduce 2003 appropriations of the Regular Fund in the following manner:

- Object 3 – Fellowships up to $200,000;
- Object 4 – Travel by at least $300,000;
- Object 5 – Documents $ 50,000;
- Object 6 – Equipment and Supplies $120,000;
- Object 7 – Building Management and Maintenance $ 50,000;
- Object 8 – Performance Contracts (CPRs) by at least $250,000;
- Object 9 – Other costs by at least $ 40,000;
Total of at least $1,010,000

3.     That none of the measures adopted in paragraph 2b, above, shall apply to performance contracts (CPRs), and other expenditures directly related to the functioning of the General Assembly, and to activities directly related to the Permanent Council and already programmed Ministerial meetings of the OAS.

4.     To request that the Secretary General, recognizing his authority to allocate resources to address mandates, achieve the reductions in paragraph 2b above while being guided by the principle of proportionality, bearing in mind operative paragraph 3 above.

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