Morocco-Chaired G77+China Calls for Equitable Geographical Representation at UNODC

08 December 2022 Printable Version

Vienna - The G77+China, under Moroccan chairmanship, called Thursday in Vienna for equitable geographical representation at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), on the occasion of the reconvened 65th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the 31st session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

Speaking on behalf of the Group, the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Morocco, Azzeddine Farhane, called for "serious and concrete" measures to be taken to improve the representation of developing countries, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions, and for the progress of these measures, including the work done by UNODC in this regard, to be reported in detail to the Commissions.

"The principle of equitable geographical representation, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, should be applied to posts in the UN Secretariat, regardless of the source of funding," the diplomat said, stressing the importance of respecting and applying this principle in the composition of UNODC staff, including regional and national leadership positions.

The Group also called on the UNODC Executive Director to ensure greater participation of women and to redouble his efforts to promote gender equality and women's empowerment "in all areas of his mandate, with due regard to the qualifications of candidates."

Recalling that multilingualism, as a core value of the United Nations, contributes to the achievement of the purposes of the Organization, as set out in Article 1 of the UN Charter, the G77+ China underlined the paramount importance of the equality of the six official languages of the United Nations.

The Group called on UNODC to continue and intensify its efforts in this regard by taking appropriate measures to implement current policies on multilingualism.

On cooperation, Farhane stressed the importance of improving and expanding UNODC's regional and national programs and projects in developing countries, and addressing the challenges and financial difficulties that hinder the process of their full implementation.

"The Group stresses that voluntarily funded projects must be aligned with UNODC mandates and the priorities of the Group's Member States, in order to address major global drug and crime challenges," he said at the meeting, held on November 8-9.

Through its Chairman, the Group also called on UNODC to implement the consolidated budget in a transparent, accessible and inclusive manner, the Group Chairman continued.