Fifth Committee

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today adopted a consensus draft resolution that allowed five countries to retain their voting rights despite failing to pay their annual contribution to the Organization.

A range of viewpoints from delegates greeted the Chair of the Committee on Contributions today, as he presented the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) with a review of the methodology for assessing Member States’ contributions to the United Nations expenses.

As they adopted their programme of work for the sixty-eighth session today, delegates of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) stressed the need to work together to approve the Organization’s 2014-2015 budget, along with the final performance report of the current two-year budget cycle, by their mid-December deadline.

Concluding its second resumed substantive session, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today recommended financial arrangements for 14 United Nations peacekeeping operations for the year beginning 1 July 2013 and ending 30 June 2014, which, once approved by the General Assembly, would exceed the previous year’s figure due to the addition of a new mission for Mali.

A senior Secretariat official asked the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today to meet the start-up requirements of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by approving $454.43 million in financing for the 25 April to 31 December 2013 period.

Pointing to the further deterioration of Syria’s security situation, a senior Secretariat official asked the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today for an extra $8 million to maintain the United Nations peacekeeping operation stationed in the Golan Heights.

Member States’ timely payment of assessed contributions and full reimbursement to troop-contributing countries was critical in maintaining the Organization’s financial health, delegations told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today as they reviewed a briefing on the Organization’s budgetary affairs.

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today scrutinized the Secretariat’s various reports on cross-cutting aspects of United Nations peacekeeping operations and their support account, most delegates hailed progress made towards stamping out sexual abuse by peacekeepers and implementing the Global Field Support Strategy, but offered divergent views on the peacekeeping budget proposed for the July 2013 to June 2014 period.

The United Nations financial situation “was healthy” at the end of 2012 thanks to the efforts of many Member States and continued to depend on those States meeting their monetary obligations “in full and on time”, the Organization’s top management official told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today was briefed by the United Nations Controller on the preparation of the 2014/2015 programme budget that would reflect a $100 million reduction to the $5.49 billion previously outlined by the Secretary-General.