General Assembly budget committee recommends $1.8 billion for UN peace missions

The United Nations General Assembly would provide close to $1.8 billion in resources for UN peace missions worldwide, according to a recommendation of the Assembly's Fifth Committee (Budgetary and Administrative), which has concluded another part of its annual work after approving a total of 25 draft resolutions and 9 draft decisions.

In keeping with established practice, the Committee's three-week second resumed session, which ended late Friday evening, focused on financing and administration of peacekeeping activities, including those in the Central African Republic, East Timor, the Middle East and the successor States to the former Yugoslavia.

All the drafts expressed concern about the financial situation of UN peacekeeping operations, particularly regarding reimbursement to troop contributors, who bore an additional burden due to outstanding payment of contributions by Member States.

Besides peacekeeping texts, the Committee approved drafts on the outline of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003 for the International Trade Centre, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)/World Trade Centre (WTO); and the review of management and administration in the Registry of the International Court of Justice.

The Committee approved all but one text without a vote. In approving a draft resolution on the financing of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Committee decided, by 69 votes in favour, 2 against (Israel, United States) and 40 abstentions, to retain one preambular and three operative paragraphs. It then approved the whole text by 113 votes in favour and 2 against (Israel, United States).

All the drafts now await adoption by the General Assembly.