Ban welcomes approval of UN budget for next two years

The General Assembly today approved a budget of $5.16 billion for the 2010-2011 period, in a move immediately welcomed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban “wishes to state his commitment to utilize the resources made available to the Organization in the most effective and efficient way.”

He also “wishes to work with all Member States in full partnership and through a transparent process during the upcoming biennium with a view to jointly realizing the important goals of this Organization.”

The Secretary-General expressed his gratitude to Assembly President Ali Treki for his leadership during the body''s session, to Ambassador Peter Maurer, who chairs the Assembly''s Administrative and Budgetary Committee, for steering the discussions, and to others for their efforts during this session.

“This demonstrates the commitment of Member States to the financial well-being of the Organization,” he stressed, adding that he is pleased that the scales of assessment for both the regular budget and peacekeeping operations for the coming biennium have been decided.

The measure was among a host of resolutions adopted by the Assembly as it wrapped up its work for year, which also included texts on an upcoming sustainable development conference and the human rights situation in Myanmar.

It also adopted a resolution that maintains the current scale by which nations are assessed dues to the UN, reflecting a compromise between the need to review that formula and maintain a balanced approach to assessments.