Tough Budget Discussion, UN Peacekeeping Missions Around The World Threatened To Stop

Illustration of Indonesian UN troops in Congo. (Wikimedia Commons/MONUSCO Photos)

JAKARTA - The UN peacekeeping mission globally is preparing for a possible shutdown on Thursday if the 193-member UN General Assembly cannot approve a new US$6 billion budget for the year through June 30, 2022, officials and diplomats said on Friday, Monday.

Some diplomats blamed changes to negotiating procedures, problems with logistics, and tough talks pitting China against Western powers for the delay in reaching a deal.

Catherine Pollard, the UN's head of management, policy, and compliance strategy, said the world body's 12 peacekeeping missions, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, had been advised to start putting in place contingency plans if a new budget was not available, adopted in time.

"At the same time, we remain hopeful and confident that member states will complete their negotiations," Pollard said.

He said that if the June 30 deadline was missed, then UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could only spend money to protect UN assets and ensure the protection of staff and peacekeepers.

Meanwhile, UN peacekeeping mission chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the mission would be very limited and unable to undertake actions such as protecting civilians, helping to tackle COVID-19, and supporting efforts and political mediation.

To note, the United States is the largest contributor to funding the UN peacekeeping force budget, with a contribution reaching 28 percent, followed by China 15 percent and Japan 8.5 percent.