The General Assembly,
 
      Reaffirming the budgetary process as adopted in its resolution 41/213 of
19 December 1986 and subsequent relevant resolutions,
 
      Recalling its resolutions 50/214 and 50/215 of 23 December 1995,
 
      Reaffirming also that changes in mandated programmes and activities are
the prerogative of the General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its authorizations for the Secretary-General to enter into
commitments in 1996 in respect of newly mandated activities in Haiti,
Guatemala, El Salvador and Rwanda,
 
      Recalling also its requests that the Secretary-General provide a report,
no later than 15 May 1996, on possible means of absorption of the related
costs within the programme budget for the biennium 1996-1997,
 
      Recognizing that the expenditures relating to the newly mandated
activities in Haiti, Guatemala, El Salvador and Rwanda are extraordinary in
nature and are governed by the procedures specified in paragraph 11 of annex I
to resolution 41/213,
 
      Noting that it has approved commitment authority amounting to 24.7
million United States dollars for activities in Haiti, Guatemala, El Salvador
and Rwanda in 1996,
 
      Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on possible means
of absorption,
 
      1.    Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;
 
      2.    Notes that the Secretary-General stated in his report that he
could not absorb any additional amount beyond the reductions of 154 million
dollars required to maintain expenditures within the approved appropriations
and that he anticipated that new approved and prospective mandates might
require an additional 120 million dollars during the course of the biennium;
 
      3.    Reiterates that the authority of the Secretary-General to
implement any proposal to change mandated programmes and activities is subject
to the prior approval of the General Assembly;
 
      4.    Requests the Secretary-General, subject to the full implementation
of all mandated programmes and activities as required by its resolution
50/214, to submit a report to the General Assembly no later than 1 September
1996 containing proposals on possible means of absorption in the programme
budget for the biennium 1996-1997, including, inter alia, in part II thereof
and in the area of staff costs where savings might arise from the
implementation of the early separation programme during the biennium;
 
      5.    Decides to revert to the issue of appropriations in the context of
the first performance report;
 
      6.    Authorizes the Secretary-General, in responding to the
requirements of resolution 50/86 B of 3 April 1996 concerning Haiti, to enter
into further commitments of 1,767,300 dollars gross (1,606,200 dollars net of
staff assessment) for the period from 1 June to 31 August 1996;
 
      7.    Also authorizes the Secretary-General, should the General Assembly
decide to extend the mandate of the International Civilian Mission to Haiti
beyond 31 August 1996, to enter into commitments up to the end of December
1996 in an amount not exceeding a monthly level of 627,900 dollars gross
(567,700 dollars net of staff assessment).