A/RES/64/230 7. Notes that accurate, timely and consistent information provided to the Fifth Committee during its informal consultations facilitates the decision-making process in the Committee; II A. Utilization of conference-servicing resources 1. Reaffirms the practice that, in the use of conference rooms, priority must be given to the meetings of Member States; 2. Notes that the overall utilization factor at the four main duty stations in 2008 was 85 per cent as compared with 83 per cent in 2007 and 2006, which is above the established benchmark of 80 per cent; Welcomes the steps taken by those bodies that have adjusted their programmes 3. of work in order to achieve the optimum utilization of conference-servicing resources, and requests the Committee on Conferences to continue consultations with the secretariats and bureaux of bodies that underutilize their conference-servicing resources; Recognizes that late starts and unplanned early endings seriously affect the 4. bodies’ utilization factor owing to the amount of time lost, and invites the secretariats and bureaux of bodies to pay adequate attention to avoiding late starts and unplanned early endings; Notes that the percentage of meetings held by the bodies entitled to meet “as 5. required” that were provided with interpretation services in New York in 2008 was 90 per cent, as compared with 88 per cent in 2007, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to report on the provision of conference services to these bodies through the Committee on Conferences; Recognizes the importance of meetings of regional and other major groupings 6. of Member States for the smooth functioning of the sessions of intergovernmental bodies, requests the Secretary-General to ensure that, as far as possible, all requests for conference services for the meetings of regional and other major groupings of Member States are met, and requests the Secretariat to inform the requesters as early as possible about the availability of conference services, including interpretation, as well as about any changes that might occur before the meeting; Regrets that the percentage of meetings held by regional and other major 7. groupings of Member States that were provided with interpretation services at the four main duty stations was 77 per cent in 2008 as compared to 84 per cent in 2007, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to employ innovative means to address the difficulties experienced by Member States owing to the lack of conference services for some meetings of regional and other major groupings of Member States and to report thereon to the General Assembly through the Committee on Conferences; Once again urges intergovernmental bodies to spare no effort at the 8. planning stage to take into account the meetings of regional and other major groupings of Member States, to make provision for such meetings in their programmes of work and to notify conference services, well in advance, of any cancellations so that unutilized conference-servicing resources may, to the extent possible, be reassigned to meetings of regional and other major groupings of Member States; Notes with satisfaction that, in accordance with several resolutions of the 9. General Assembly, including resolution 63/248, section II.A, paragraph 9, in conformity with the headquarters rule, all meetings of Nairobi-based United Nations bodies were 3

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