General Assembly Adopts $3.45 Billion United Nations Budget for 2026, Fifth Committee Texts, as Severe Cash-Flow Pressures Persist

Following complex negotiations in its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the General Assembly today adopted the United Nations programme budget for 2026 — totalling $3.45 billion — as it concluded the main part of its eightieth session.

Negotiations on the 2026 programme budget reflected both the ongoing financial constraints facing the Organization and the broader context of the UN80 initiative, which aims to improve efficiency, reduce duplication and better align resources with mandates.  The budget largely reflects the Secretary-General’s proposed 15 per cent reduction in financial resources and a nearly 19 per cent cut in staffing.

The UN faces severe cash-flow challenges when Member States do not pay their mandatory contributions on time or in full.  The situation is further complicated by credit returns arising from underspending due to contributions received too late in the financial period to be fully implemented.  There was, apparently, no major breakthrough on proposed measures to address the liquidity crisis, including a temporary suspension of credit returns.

At the outset of the meeting, Fifth Committee Rapporteur Vadim Belloni (Chile) recalled that the Committee met from 6 October to 30 December over the course of 20 plenary meetings and numerous informal consultations.  Thanking delegations and Secretariat staff for their efforts under “particularly exceptional and demanding conditions”, he also underlined the importance of “our families and those close to us”.  Whether from New York or abroad, “their support and encouragement sustain us every day”, he said.

Assembly Rejects Two Oral Amendments Introduced by Russian Federation, Cuba

Following that, the representative of the Russian Federation introduced an oral amendment to the draft resolution titled “Special subjects relating to the proposed programme budget for 2026” (currently contained in document A/C.5/80/L.5) concerning resources for the implementation of certain Human Rights Council resolutions.  Cuba’s representative also proposed an oral amendment to that draft resolution concerning the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect.

Neither amendment was adopted due to recorded votes of, respectively, 84 against to 14 in favour, with 53 abstentions, and 80 against to 20 in favour, with 52 abstentions.

The Assembly then adopted, without a vote, the 16 draft resolutions and one draft decision contained in the Fifth Committee’s report (see Press Release GA/AB/4507).

Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here.