Fifth Committee

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), during its organizational meeting this morning, agreed on its provisional programme of work for the first week of the sixty-fourth session, on the understanding that necessary adjustments would be made in the course of the session, as required.

Following several weeks of intense consultations, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this afternoon recommended to the General Assembly a peacekeeping budget approaching $7.8 billion for the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010.

Following up the adoption of Security Council resolution 1872 (2009) last week, which authorized the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to carry out its existing mandate until 31 January 2010, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up the Secretary-General’s request for commitment authority to continue the provision of a logistical support package for the Mission, along with the continuation of technical and expert advice to the Union.

The Fifth Community (Administrative and Budgetary) this afternoon took up the proposed $68.28 million budget for the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi, whose role is expected to expand significantly in the financial year beginning 1 July.

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) took up financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), representatives of Serbia and Russian Federation questioned a proposed 76.2 per cent reduction in the budget of the Mission, which reflected a drawdown in personnel from an approved strength of 4,911 in 2008/09 to a proposed strength of 507 for 2009/10.

The $768.19 million proposed budget for the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) for 2009/10 represented an increase of 74.3 per cent, compared to the 2008/09 period, due to the projected phased deployment of 5,183 military contingent personnel, for which the Mission would require a total of 30 aircraft and seven additional helicopters, United Nations Controller, Jun Yamazaki, told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up the financing of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is projected to require $646.58 million for its maintenance in the upcoming financial year, beginning 1 July.

Stressing the need to provide adequate financing for United Nations peacekeeping missions in Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti and Timor-Leste, several speakers in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning had questions about the cuts in their proposed budgets for 2009/10, which had been recommended by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).

In its general debate on the United Nations financial situation this morning, members of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) once again reiterated the importance of every country paying their assessed contributions in full, on time and without conditions, while calling for financial prudence on the part of the Secretariat in its management of funds, given the world’s poor financial state of affairs.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up the proposed budgets of $56 million for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), $38.84 million for the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and $593.49 million for the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).