delegation was prepared to approve the Advisory Committee's recommendation concerning a reduction in the appropriation requested by the Secretary-General under section 14 of the proposed programme budget. However, it could be seen from the budget for the biennium 1982-1983 that because of the difficulties of implementation experienced by ECWA and in particular the high number of posts remaining vacant, the number of programme elements envisaged for the Commission had been reduced by half compared with the previous biennium. So far, no report had been drawn up on the implementation of the 70 programme elements envisaged for 1982-1983, which should have been completed by the end of 1984. His delegation wondered whether ECWA would be able to implement the programme elements envisaged in the proposed programme budget for 1984-1985 before the end of the current biennium in view of the high percentage of vacant posts and the large number of programme elements which were of the highest priority. 8. In order to remedy the problem of the high vacancy rate, the Advisory Committee recommended, in paragraph 14.6 of its report, that the turnover deduction applicable to established posts in the Professional category and above should be increased from 5 to 13 per cent and that the 1984-1985 estimates should be reduced by $1,215,200. While it understood the technical reasons which had motivated the Advisory Committee's recommendation, his delegation felt that that reduction was unrealistic. If the Executive Secretary of the Commission had those funds, and on condition that he was able to fill the vacant posts, he would be able to ensure the implementation of the programmes envisaged. If he was not able to resolve the problem of vacancies by the end of the biennium, the member States of ECWA would no doubt lose the benefit of many programmes designed for them which might be of 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the implementation of programs and budget allocation within the Economic Commission for Western Africa (ECWA), specifically regarding the reduction of vacant posts and the impact on program implementation. The focus is on the administrative and organizational aspects of the commission, rather than on specific sectors or industries.

**Category**
Education, Employment