Taking Up Fifth, Fourth Committee Reports, General Assembly Adopts $5.59 Billion Budget for 14 Peacekeeping Operations, 2 Service Centres over Next 12 Months
The General Assembly today authorized nearly $5.6 billion to keep 14 peacekeeping missions, 2 service centres and support staff at Headquarters operating through June 2025, adopting 20 resolutions and 1 decision forwarded by its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).
The texts covered the financing needs of these missions from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 and also addressed human resource questions. In particular, the resolution on “Seconded active-duty military and police personnel” recognized the expertise provided by such personnel in fulfilling United Nations mandates, and asked the Secretary-General to continue efforts to improve their timely onboarding, using tools at his disposal to address challenges beyond the control of these personnel that stand in the way.
All the texts were adopted without a vote except for the resolution on the $582.63 million appropriation for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which received 129 votes in favour, yet was opposed by Israel and the United States, with Paraguay abstaining.
Before that resolution was adopted, the representative of Israel proposed an oral amendment to delete preambular paragraph 4 and operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 13 from the text which called on Israel to comply with Assembly resolutions and stress that it shall pay $1.12 million resulting from the incident at Qana on 18 April 1996. Israel’s representative said these paragraphs are “nothing more than an attempt to insert a political agenda into an otherwise non-political discussion on the UN peacekeeping budget” and demonstrate the Committee’s “unjustified biased approach”.
However, the language was maintained in the text as the amendment was defeated by a recorded vote of 75 against to 4 in favour (Canada, Israel, Paraguay, United States) with 49 abstentions.
Adopting a related resolution from its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) report on "Comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects", the Assembly decided that the Special Committee shall continue its efforts for such a review. It also reiterated that Member States that become personnel contributors to UN peacekeeping operations in years to come or that participate in the future of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations for three consecutive years as observers shall become members at the Committee’s following session.
Action on Draft Resolutions
The General Assembly first took up the resolution contained in the report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) on "Comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects" (document A/78/422/Add.1), adopting it without a vote. By its terms, the Assembly reiterated that those Member States that become personnel contributors to the United Nations peacekeeping operations in years to come or that participate in the future in the Special Committee for three consecutive years as observers shall become members at the body’s following session. Further, it decided the Special Committee shall continue its efforts for a comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations.
Next, LAURENS DEN HARTOG (Netherlands), Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), introduced the body’s reports to the General Assembly, which then took action on the recommendations contained in them.
The Assembly first adopted the draft resolution “Financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors” (document A/C.5/78/L.57) without a vote. By its terms, the Assembly considered several reports, including the Board’s financial report and audited financial statements for the 12-month period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 and the Board’s report on United Nations peacekeeping operations.
The Assembly then turned to human resources management issues and adopted the draft resolution “Seconded active-duty military and police personnel” (document A/C.5/78/L.52) without a vote. By the text, the Assembly recognized the expertise provided by seconded active-duty military and police personnel in fulfilling United Nations mandates and asked the Secretary-General to continue efforts to improve their timely onboarding, using tools at his disposal to address challenges beyond the control of the selected active-duty military and police personnel that prevent their timely onboarding.
Taking up administrative and budgetary aspects of financing peacekeeping operations, the Assembly adopted four draft resolutions without a vote.
By the draft resolution “Support Account for peacekeeping operations” (document A/C.5/78/L.53), the Assembly approved support account requirements of $384.28 million for the 2024/25 financial period;
By the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Regional Service Centre in Entebbe, Uganda” (document A/C.5/78/L.54), the Assembly approved cost estimates of $48 million to maintain the Centre from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025;
The draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi, Italy” (document A/C.5/78/L.55) had the Assembly approve cost estimates of $67.94 million to fund the Base for the 2024/25 financial cycle;
And by the draft resolution “Closed peacekeeping missions” (document A/C.5/78/L.56), the Assembly took note of the Secretary-General’s report on the updated financial position of closed peacekeeping missions as of 30 June 2023 and endorsed the conclusions and recommendations in the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
Turning to the financing of individual peacekeeping missions, the Assembly first adopted without a vote the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA)” (document A/C.5/78/L.43) by which it appropriated $326.16 million to the special account for the Force for the fiscal year from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.
Next, the Assembly adopted without a vote the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)” (document A/C.5/78/L.44) by which it appropriated $1.28 billion to the special account for the Mission for that fiscal year.
It then adopted without a vote the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI)” (document A/C.5/78/L.38) by which it decided that Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Operation shall be credited with their respective share of $6.48 million in net cash available in the special account for the Operation as at 30 April. It also decided that for Member States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the Operation, their respective share of the net cash shall be set off against their dues.
The draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)” (document A/C.5/78/L.45) was also adopted without a vote. By its terms, the Assembly appropriated $61.25 million to the special account for the Force for the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Next, the Assembly adopted without a vote the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO)” (document A/C.5/78/L.46), by which it appropriated $994.54 million to the special account for the Mission for 2024/2025.
The draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)” (document A/C.5/78/L.47) was also adopted without a vote. By the text, the Assembly appropriated $47.41 million to the special account for the Mission for the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Also without a vote, the Assembly adopted the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)” (document A/C.5/78/L.39) by which it decided that Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission shall be credited with their respective share of $12.34 million in net cash available in the special account as at 30 April. It also decided that for Member States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission, their respective share of the net cash shall be set off against their dues.
Next, the Assembly adopted — without a vote — the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)” (document A/C.5/78/L.42) by which it appropriated $222.12 million to the special account for the Mission for the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
The Assembly proceeded to adopt the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)” (document A/C.5/78/L.48) without a vote. By the text, it appropriated $74.61 million to the special account for the Force for the year ending 30 June 2025.
The Assembly then turned to the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)” (document A/C.5/78/L.40/Rev.1).
The representative of Israel rejected the “unjustified biased approach” of the Fifth Committee and proposed an oral amendment to delete preambular paragraph 4 and operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 13 from the text, saying they are “nothing more than an attempt to insert a political agenda into an otherwise non-political discussion on the UN peacekeeping budget”.
The Assembly then rejected the amendment by a vote of 75 against to 4 in favour (Canada, Israel, Paraguay, United States), with 49 abstentions, and adopted L.40/Rev.1 as a whole by a vote of 129 in favour, to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 1 abstention (Paraguay).
By the text, the Assembly appropriated $582.63 million to the special account for the Force for the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Moving along, the Assembly adopted without a vote the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)” (document A/C.5/78/L.49) by which it appropriated $1.36 billion to the special account for the Mission for the year from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.
The Assembly then adopted the draft resolution “Financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)” (document A/C.5/78/L.50) without a vote. By the text, it appropriated $75.35 million to the special account for the Mission for that fiscal year.
The draft resolution “Financing of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)” (document A/C.5/78/L.41) was adopted without a vote. By the text, the Assembly authorized the Secretary-General, on an exceptional basis, to enter into commitments and use the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund for cash flow purposes if necessary.
Next, the Assembly adopted the draft resolution “Financing of the activities arising from Security Council resolution 1863 (2009)” (document A/C.5/78/L.51) without a vote. By the text, it appropriated $547.41 million to the special account for the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) for the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Lastly, the Assembly adopted the draft decision “Questions deferred for future consideration” (document A/C.5/78/L.58) without a vote, by which it deferred — until the main part of its seventy-ninth session — consideration of the Secretary-General’s report on the revised estimates relating to the proposed programme budget for 2024 under section 1, “Overall policymaking, direction and coordination”, and section 29B, “Department of Operational Support and the related ACABQ report”.