By Agbafo Ijeoma
Nigeria has rallied African ambassadors ahead of the opening of the United Nations’ Fifth Committee negotiations, with Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Jimoh Ibrahim, leading efforts to coordinate the continent’s position on budget and administrative matters.
Ibrahim, who chairs the Fifth Committee for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, convened an interactive meeting with African ambassadors at Nigeria House in New York on Sunday. The meeting, attended by representatives including ambassadors from Morocco, The Gambia and Guinea, was held ahead of the committee’s first meeting of the session on Monday.
The Nigerian envoy said the consultation was aimed at briefing African representatives on preparations for the session, addressing their concerns and strengthening collective support for the negotiations. He also proposed that similar meetings be held every two or three weeks to maintain coordination between ambassadors and technical experts throughout the negotiation period.
Ibrahim thanked the African Group for supporting Nigeria’s emergence as chair and pledged to uphold the confidence placed in the country. He stressed that protecting African interests would remain a priority, while urging diplomats to work closely with technical experts to ensure that budget proposals and administrative plans were properly examined before decisions were taken.
The Fifth Committee, which handles the UN’s administrative and budgetary affairs, will consider several issues during its main session from Oct. 5 to Dec. 4, including the proposed programme plan and budget for 2027. Ibrahim said early access to relevant reports would be critical to effective scrutiny, adding that financial figures and assumptions must be properly understood to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation’s plans.
