2023-12-27 21:19:55
The General Assembly today followed the recommendations of its Fifth Committee, responsible for administrative and budgetary matters, adopting a budget for the United Nations and its 10,351 staff in the exact amount of $3,588,280,100 for the year next.
Among the innovations included in the new budget, we should mention the strengthening of the meeting coverage section of the Department of Global Communication (DGC). With 20 additional temporary positions, it will be able to publish its press releases in the six official languages of the UN: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese.
The Office for Combating Racism at the UN Secretariat is strengthened. It should also be noted the creation of an office for data protection, as well as the creation of a special account to fund the Peacebuilding Fund. It was decided to approve 50 million dollars of mandatory contributions per year to finance this account, starting January 1, 2025.
The Peacebuilding Fund is the main UN instrument for investing in prevention and peacebuilding efforts and supports joint responses to seize critical peacebuilding opportunities, linking the pillars of development, humanitarian, human rights and peacebuilding.
The role of the UN “more vital than ever”
Last October, the Secretary-General presented a $3.3 billion budget proposal to the General Assembly, emphasizing to Fifth Committee delegates that the role of the United Nations was “more vital than ever.”
The UN chief had also expressed concern over the deteriorating liquidity situation of the Organization, urging countries to ensure timely and full payments.
As part of actions taken this Friday evening, the 193 member countries of the General Assembly also decided to allocate nearly $50 million in additional funding to support the decisions taken by the Human Rights Council, the the main UN forum on human rights issues. That same day, the General Assembly also adopted a resolution condemning the killings of members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as the destruction of buildings under the UN flag, during ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Bereaved agencies
The latest provisional human toll drawn up on Saturday December 23 shows 142 UNRWA personnel killed and 123 installations damaged. Other UN agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), have also lost staff.
This Friday, Issam Al Mughrabi of UNDP, along with his wife, children and dozens of members of his extended family were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
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