A/RES/59/289 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 29 April 2005 Fifty-ninth session Agenda item 107 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 13 April 2005 [on the report of the Fifth Committee (A/59/652/Add.1)] 59/289. Outsourcing practices The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 54/256 of 7 April 2000, 55/232 of 23 December 2000 and 58/276 and 58/277 of 23 December 2003, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on outsourcing practices 1 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, 2 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General,1 and endorses the observations and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions related thereto;2 2. Acknowledges that outsourcing should be used in full compliance with the four criteria set out by the General Assembly, and requests the Secretary-General to monitor the quality of activities outsourced; Requests the Secretary-General to continue to consider outsourcing 3. actively in accordance with the guidance and goals mentioned in paragraphs 1 to 3 of resolution 55/232 and to ensure that programme managers satisfy all of the following criteria in their assessment of whether or not an activity of the Organization can be fully, or even partially, outsourced: (a) Cost-effectiveness and efficiency: this is considered to be the most basic criterion; unless it can be adequately demonstrated that an activity can be done significantly more economically and, at the very least, equally efficiently, by an external party, outsourcing may not be considered; (b) Safety and security: activities that could compromise the safety and security of delegations, staff and visitors may not be considered for outsourcing; (c) Maintaining the international character of the Organization: outsourcing may be considered for activities in which the international character of the Organization is not compromised; _______________ 1 2 04-49447 A/59/227. A/59/540, paras. 1, 12 and 13.