Budget Committee Recommends Authorizing Extra $80 Million to Maintain United Nations Mission in Mali

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today recommended that the General Assembly authorize an additional $80.33 million to finance the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) for the year ending 30 June 2015.

By the terms of draft resolution A/C.5/69/L.45, which the Committee approved without a vote, the Assembly would have the Secretary-General enter into commitments for MINUSMA for the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 in a total amount not exceeding $80.33 million for the maintenance of the Mission, in addition to $895.53 million previously budgeted for the same period.

In other matters, South Africa’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, noted that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which would close at the end of 2015, would undergo administrative activities related to liquidation, including the transfer and disposal of assets, retention of institutional memory and expertise, and personnel issues, which were not part of the arrangement for the International Residual Mechanism.

Therefore, the Group felt that the consideration of the pending Tribunal-related administrative and budgetary issues should be handled separately from the Mechanism agenda item until the liquidation was complete, he said, urging the Secretary-General to continue to present a separate budget under the Tribunal agenda item.

Togo’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the African Group and echoing the statement made by the previous speaker, said that the Group was aware that the Tribunal would enter a liquation phase after December 2015, and needed a separate consideration in preparing the budget for the Tribunal.

The Committee will meet again at a time and date to be determined.