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According to a UN press release dated 20 November, the Fifth Committee took up the new administration of justice system for the UN. The new system places greater emphasis on resolving work-related disputes through informal means, such as mediation, and provides for a single integrated Office of the Ombudsman for the UN Secretariat, funds and programmes with offices in Bangkok, Geneva, Santiago and Vienna, as well as capacity in the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Mission in Liberia and the UN Mission in the Sudan.

It will also replace the current Joint Appeals Board and Joint Disciplinary Committees in the UN system with a single institution, the United Nations Dispute Tribunal. The court will be a court of first instance, when informal means for resolving disputes are unsuccessful. Comprised of professional judges making binding decisions, the Tribunal will have registries in New York, Geneva and Nairobi. Decisions by the Dispute Tribunal may be appealed by either staff or administration to the United Nations Appeals Tribunal, which will replace the current Administrative Tribunal, and will hold two annual sessions in Geneva and New York.
Several crucial decisions remain to be taken by Member States during the current session of the General Assembly, foremost among them the adoption of the statutes of the two Tribunals. Transitional measures must also be decided on to help ensure a smooth changeover to the new system.

The new system is supposed to be functional by 1 January 2009. It is therefore notable that none of the 30 posts authorized for the Office of the Administration of Justice have been filled.

In a resolution adopted on 11 December, the General Assembly decided that the Ad Hoc Committee on the Administration of Justice should reconvene on 20-24 April 2009 and continue work on the outstanding legal aspects of the issue. The Committee will report on its work to the General Assembly's 64th session.