UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres
United Nations (UN) General Assembly has approved a $5.38 billion budget for peacekeeping operations for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, a slight decrease from the previous year’s budget of $5.59 billion.
The budget was adopted without a vote, except for the resolution on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was approved by 147 votes in favor.
Despite the approval, UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan expressed concerns about the organization’s liquidity situation, stating that approved budgets are often undermined by cash shortages.
“You manage somehow to find common ground three times a year. But I only wish you had gone a little bit further to solve one of the underlying problems of the UN, which has been plaguing us for 80 years,” Ramanathan said.
*Peacekeeping efforts*
The UN peacekeeping budget supports nearly 70,000 military, police, and civilian personnel deployed across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Missions include long-standing deployments such as MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UNFICYP in Cyprus, and MINUSCA in the Central African Republic.
These operations work to stabilize conflict zones, support political processes, protect civilians, and assist in disarmament and rule-of-law efforts.
The peacekeeping budget is separate from the UN’s regular budget, which supports the organization’s core programs, including human rights, development, political affairs, communications, and regional cooperation. The peacekeeping budget cycle runs from July to June, while the regular budget is aligned with the calendar year.
