In accordance with General Assembly resolution 72/279, the Funding Compact sets out ambitious commitments by Member States and the United Nations Sustainable Development Group to ensure predictable and flexible funding for United Nations development activities. It is not right to make demands of the Organization while pursuing arbitrary cuts to the proposed budget or withholding or threatening to withhold contributions to the Organization, he said. An annual budget guarantees more adequate alignment with mandates than a sequential system which had a considerably diminished link to reality, he emphasized. Continuous engagement and consultations with Member States not only guarantees ownership and accountability but ensures that mandated priorities reflect Member States aspirations and the Organizations legitimacy, she underscored. In 2019, Africa saw the highest UN expenditures of any region. As the estimates for special political missions amount to over $767million, which is more than 23percent of the proposed budget for 2023, he called for serious discussions on its funding arrangements vis--vis other development priorities. by Anshu Siripurapu and Noah Berman A strong human rights pillar will also strengthen the links with other United Nations pillars, she stressed. She then reiterated the call for more ambitious targets and commitments to the Paris Agreement on climate change. The annual cycle gives Member States an opportunity to provide more frequent direction on resource allocations and align decisions with recent or sudden events, such as the global pandemic. Since 2017, however, it has declined to provide funds for more than the 25%, meaning the US hasnt paid its bill in full to the UN. The African Group will work to appropriate the required funding for the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, support to Africa through the African Unions Agenda 2063, Africas social and economic development, and construction and property management, among other items. We use cookies on our website to enhance your online experience and to analyze visitors' navigation patterns. By comparison, that contribution is about what the government allocates annually to the U.S. Coast Guard. Ras Issa, Yemen, 30 May 2023 - The United Nations today started a challenging operation to remove more than 1 million barrels of oil from the FSO Safer - a decaying supertanker . As such, Switzerland and Liechtenstein support the full integration into the regular budget of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Syria. In supporting the Secretary-Generals proposed programme budget, he called on Member States to provide the necessary resources for the Secretary-General to implement the United Nations goals and achieve the mandates set by the Organization. He then spotlighted the unprecedented reforms of his country. Stressing the importance of addressing challenges facing the least developed countries, she said her Government looked forward to hosting the fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Doha from 5to 9March2023. Such proposals should be kept to a minimum and approved only when well justified. This means the US is responsible for a significant portion. Hits Its Debt Ceiling? The move led the agency to lay off staff and slash its health, education, and food assistance. Members may also make voluntary contributions. He urged all Member States to support funding for the regional commissions in the regular budget, particularly the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA). On cybersecurity, ACABQ - stressing the need to prevent incidents and ensure appropriate resilience and disaster recovery in the future - calls for information on extra measures in the context of the next budget submission. ABDALLAH BACHAR BONG, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), introduced the Advisory Committees report, titled First report on the proposed programme budget for 2023 (document A/77/7). The Qatar Government has always paid its contribution to the United Nations annual budget on time and will continue to provide predictable funding to the Organization. For example, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, relied on the United States for about one-third of its budget until the Trump administration halted contributions in 2018. The document now includes a multi-year account of measurable results. Assessed contributions are mandatory. As such, programme plans for 2023 show enhanced quality, clarity and usability. As the budget document lacks sufficient information and justifications for all proposed positions, including replacement and continuing positions to be funded under general temporary assistance, the Assembly should ask the Secretary-General to include all general temporary assistance positions as a subcategory under post resources and provide, with full justification, detailed information by grade, level, function, date of incumbency and duration. CHRISTOPHER P. LU (United States) said more than two years after the pandemic began, the United Nations has recognized, like other organizations, that the nature of work has changed. It is an authoritative statement that should reflect the strategic vision of the Secretary-General in delivering the mandates and priorities agreed upon by Member States, he said. Echoing those concerns, Pakistans representative, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, emphasized that agreements on any of the corresponding budget sections of the open programmes are not possible without the necessary agreement on the programmes themselves. Turning to the ACABQ, he expressed serious concerns over its recommendations that seek to expand the Advisory Committees remit to extrabudgetary funded activities, reopen long-standing Assembly resolutions and could result in the defunding of Human Rights Council mandates. Article Any attempt to undermine the consensus-based process of programme planning would be unacceptable to the United States, he said. The U.S. government contributed about $12.5 billion to the United Nations in 2021, the most recent fiscal year with full data available. The [six] missions were most influential in advocating and supporting consistent and enforceable implementation of gender quotas as the most effective temporary special measure to increase or maintain the percentage of women candidates and elected officials, he said. Turning to the Peacebuilding Fund, she urged the Committee to operationalize and translate the political commitments of Assembly resolution 76/305 into tangible actions that account for the changing peace and security landscape. This includes the Organizations continued support for the implementation of the African Unions Agenda 2063. Most of it has ended up in the hands of terrorist organizations and does not assist a sizeable portion of the population in need, he noted. To that end, OIOS made three important recommendations to all six missions to develop: long- and short-term prevention measures to address political violence targeting women; mission-specific strategies, grounded in evidence-based analyses of specific country contexts, to promote womens political participation and representation; and harmonized data strategy, advocacy and support efforts with relevant United Nations country teams to further the women and peace and security agenda. BURHAN GAFOOR (Singapore), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, called for budgeting to be realistic and results-oriented. Shared service centres, such as those in Kuwait and Entebbe, are also an important component of working conditions and other cost-efficient ways to support field offices around the world. Also speaking today were representatives of Singapore (on behalf of ASEAN), Switzerland, Morocco, Egypt, Japan, Russian Federation, China, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Peru, Bangladesh, Lesotho, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria, United Republic of Tanzania, Iraq, Kenya and Botswana. The Trump administration suspended all funding for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2017, after expanding a ban on U.S. contributions to organizations that perform or promote abortions as a method of family planning. The employment and retention of a long-term Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) workforce would provide operational means and administrative stability. That should be the exception and not the norm, he stressed, adding that the role of the Programme and Coordination Committee should be upheld, not diluted, and called again for that Committee to reach consensus on all 28 programme plans in the future. The Assembly should ask the Secretary-General to systematically include a more detailed breakdown of extrabudgetary resources and clear data on voluntary contributions, programme support costs, cost recovery and cost sharing in future budget proposals. Turning to the improvement in gender parity in the Secretariat and the achievement of gender balance across the budget sections, he called for rigorous measures to ensure gender parity and equitable geographic representation at all levels of the United Nations staff. He said he was thankful that during the second resumed session, Member States responded to his appeals and addressed some of the structural problems affecting the regular budgets liquidity situation. The UN Environment Programme ( UNEP) estimates that adaptation costs alone faced by just developing countries will be in a range of $140 billion to $300 billion per year by 2030, and $280 billion to $500 billion annually by 2050. She affirmed that the most effective way to ensure the Organizations financial well-being involves Member States meeting their financial obligations in full, on time and without condition. Partners Global Environment Facility Green Climate Fund European Union and UNEP Civil society engagement Adaptation Fund He thanked Member States for their invaluable feedback in improving the budget document. While the United Kingdom supports predictable and sustainable funding for the United Nations work, shifting activities into the regular budget is not the solution at a time when national budgets are under pressure, he cautioned. At the same time, Member States supervision of programmes is equally important to the supervision of the budget, and the role of the Committee for Programme and Coordination is central to the Fifth Committees work, he said, adding that more can be done to further enhance the latter Committees work. By entering your email and clicking subscribe, you're agreeing to receive announcements from CFR about our products and services, as well as invitations to CFR events. At the top of that list is the World Food Programme (WFP), which receives $8.3 billion. Since then, the US has accumulated over $500 million of missing payments. He then called for support to the most vulnerable countries, especially least developed countries, landlocked developed countries and small islanding developing States; funding under the Development Account, the effective utilization of the Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation, increased coordination and collaboration with regional and subregional organizations, improved focus on Member States priorities, accountability for delivering results, better synchronisation between organizational frameworks and increased involvement by Member States and all relevant intergovernmental bodies in the budget process in a clear, sequential manner. Procedural problems were encountered, and he noted that consultations with the Secretary-General and Member States were successful and his delegations concerns were addressed. These mandatory contributions help fund the United Nations regular budget, which covers administrative costs and a few programs, as well as peacekeeping operations. BASSAM SABBAGH (Syria), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, called for the wise management of resources. Between 2016 and 2021, the number of underrepresented countries dropped by approximately 20percent, from 44 to 36 countries. The proposed budget for the development pillar, he clarified, concerns a small amount of money which he has attempted to progressively and consistently increase. The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil. The final programme budget proposal is likely to be $3.4billion, which includes about $69million for re-costing and an increase of $34million for major construction projects compared to 2022. The United Nations is the worlds main organization for deliberating matters of peace and security, but its work encompasses far more than peacekeeping and conflict prevention. The United Nations has 193 member states, all of which pay yearly into the organization. with James M. Lindsay and Sadanand Dhume In focusing on the outcomes achieved in the context of electoral processes and political transitions across the three pillars of participation, protection and prevention, the evaluation found that structural and systemic factors hindered the equal participation of women in public and political life in all six countries and deterred them from turning out to vote or running successful campaigns. Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning. Turning to resource requirements, he said the Organization needs $3.22billion to fully implement its mandates in 2023. COLLEN VIXEN KELAPILE (Botswana), aligning himself with the African Group and the Group of 77 and China, reiterated his countrys belief that the Organizations resources must be commensurate with its mandates. The Secretary-General proposes a 2023 budget of $3.22billion before recosting, including $767.1million for special political missions, which is an increase of $102.4 million, or 3.3percent, compared with the 2022 approximation. Also before the Committee was the Secretary-Generals note (document A/77/256) drawing the General Assemblys attention to the report of the Joint Inspection Unit, titled Business continuity management in United Nations system organizations (JIU/REP/2021/6), as well as the Secretary-Generals comments and those of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) on the Units report (document A/77/256/Add.1). In 2023, the United Nations assessed the United States share of the regular budget at 22 percent and its share of the peacekeeping budget at 27 percent; however, the U.S. Congress caps contributions to the peacekeeping budget at 25 percent, leaving the United States in arrears. Regarding development, the budget includes an increase of $3.6million across the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Regular Programme for Technical Co-operation and UN-Habitat. Regarding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), he said ACABQ has contradicted a long-standing Assembly resolution stating that only international staff salaries should be financed by the regular budget. In-person meetings allow for equal and fair representation of Member States and enable them to interact effectively. PHILIPPE KRIDELKA (Belgium), Committee Chair, then drew the Committees attention to the report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on its sixty-second session, held from 31 May to 1 July 2022 (document A/77/16), and the report of the Independent Audit Advisory Committee titled Internal oversight: proposed programme budget for 2023 (document A/77/85). As a supporter of effective multilateralism, he welcomed the Secretary-Generals 2023 annual budget and his efforts to make the Organizations budget more effective, efficient, result-oriented, transparent and focused on the people who need the funding. Many UN organizations, such as the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the World Food Program (WFP), rely mainly on discretionary funding. In addition, the budget proposal achieves more equitable geographical representation in the Secretariat, despite the slower pace of recruitment over the last few years due to hiring restrictions forced by the precarious liquidity situation, he said. The proposal also has frontloaded a more comprehensive programme budget for human rights, which will facilitate more predictable resource planning for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). He also noted the programme budgets size has moved upward. He said it is the fourth programme budget since Member States approved, on a trial basis, the biggest change in the planning and budgeting processes since the 1970s: a move from a biennial programme and budgetary cycle to an annual exercise. This has contributed to the discussion. A proposed programme budget should provide adequate resources for the implementation of programmes under the development pillar, especially those that put the 2030Agenda for Sustainabl Development back on track, he noted. The allotment of 10,122 posts, a net increase of 95 posts, is predominantly for the conversion of posts from extra-budgetary funding to the programme budget. He then acknowledged the recommendations on improvements and committed to doing better next time. He then highlighted four specific elements. This conference will help support these countries and increase their resiliency. Flexible resources allow UNDP to enable coordinated and rapid responses to development needs and emergencies; provide multi-sectoral responses; enhance thought leadership, innovation and quality assurance; and support countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This represents about a quarter of the roughly $50 billion the United States spends annually on foreign aid. In 2019, the US contributed more than $11 billion to the United Nations, which is roughly one-fifth of the organizations entire budget. Any reduction in the budget of this Commission would negatively affect the implementation of programmes entrusted to it, he said, stressing that ESCWA has contributed greatly to the sustainable development of Iraq. Committee for Programme and Coordination d. June 1, 2023, Backgrounder Overall U.S. contributions to the United Nations have remained steady in recent years, but the Trump administration sought to pare down or completely eliminate voluntary contributions to many UN programs, targeting peacekeeping operations and several specialized agencies. He also presented its proposed programme budget for 2023 (documents A/77/6 (Introduction) and Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and Corr.1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and Corr.1, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 29A, 29B, 29C, 29E, 29F, 29G, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and Income Sections 1, 2 and 3). Abdallah Bachar Bong, ACABQ Chair, introduced its report on the proposed 2023 programme budget, saying that it recommends a $50.7million overall reduction, including a technical adjustment of $35million concerning the OHCHR front-loading proposal. Member States expect ACABQ to provide clear, technical and evidence-based advice to inform the Committees decision-making, he emphasized. It is an authoritative statement that should reflect the strategic vision of the Secretary-General in delivering the mandates and priorities agreed upon by Member States. The Group, he said, looks forward to continuing Committee discussions on the appropriate sequence to be followed in the formulation, review and adoption process of the programme plan and budget. He then called for the strengthening of the Committee for Programme and Coordination to enable it to effectively accommodate management reforms and preserve the sequencing of the United Nations budgetary considerations. Peru will focus primarily on resources related to United Nations bodies with mandates on the 2030 Agenda, promotion and protection of human rights, international cooperation for development, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, amongst others, he noted. Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars. The United States remains the largest donor to the United Nations. Under an annual budget, this becomes a three-year cycle where the Programme and Coordination Committee and ACABQ provide their recommendations in 2022 based on information from 2021. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today released its monthly Food Price Index for May, which said that world food commodity prices declined amid significant drops in quotations for most cereals, vegetable oils and dairy products. Such shifts are interdependent and mutually reinforcing: progress on each side enables progress on all. The UN Funding Compact marks a fundamental shift in how the UN and Member States enable the transformative, collaborative action needed to help countries achieve the 2030 Agenda. In 2015 the region received 17% of funding. However, once elected, women faced significant challenges in garnering support for laws to advance gender equality, thus underlining the need for wider changes in the social, cultural and security spheres.. Sadanand Dhume, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a South Asia columnist for the, with Heidi Campbell and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush. Following are UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres' remarks, as delivered by Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in . Since then, Congress has regularly passed special measures to allow the US to pay its full assessed share. Payments to the general budget are capped at 22%, and the US is the only country to reach that ceiling. Mr. GUTERRES, thanking Member States for their contributions, responded to their concerns over the development budget. For the planned improved service delivery concept, the Assembly should ask the Secretary-General to present comprehensive information on its purpose and principles, service providers and services, implementation plans and timeline, expected efficiency gains, budgetary impacts and lessons learned, he said. This offers a comprehensive picture of our programme delivery over the past three years, he said. While working to make even greater progress in this area, he hoped the improved liquidity situation would allow the Organization to avoid new hiring restrictions. Turning to human rights, she called on Member States to provide the necessary resources from the regular budget to implement mandates. GEORGE EDOKPA (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the African Group and aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, noted the increase of $102.4million due to adjustments including the conversion of posts and methodological changes for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). His delegation is deeply concerned about several ACABQ recommendations that subvert the Assemblys will. A curation of original analyses, data visualizations, and commentaries, examining the debates and efforts to improve health worldwide. April 19, 2023, Backgrounder Mr. Guterres thanked Member States for addressing some of the structural problems affecting the regular budgets liquidity situation during the second resumed session. SULEIMAN HAJI SULEIMAN (United Republic of Tanzania), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, called for adequate funding for the United Nations, saying: We cannot expect it to do more, while giving it less. Despite domestic challenges and priorities, the United Republic of Tanzania will continue to fulfil its commitments to the regular budget in full and on time. Mr. Guterres thanked delegates for their comments and addressed their concerns about adequate financing for development. ISHIKANE KIMIHIRO (Japan) said the Fifth Committee is at a critical juncture, and it has been five years since the Secretary-General put forward a progressive proposal to change from a biennial to an annual budget period. FATOUMATA NDIAYE, Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, introduced the OIOS report titled Evaluation of women and peace and security in field-based missions: elections and political transitions (document A/77/83). UNDEF funds projects that empower civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes. The programme budget is one of the most important agenda items under consideration during the current session.