Africa: General Assembly Approves $5.4 Billion UN Peacekeeping Budget for 2025-2026

Africa: General Assembly Approves .4 Billion UN Peacekeeping Budget for 2025-2026


The General Assembly on Monday approved a $5.38 billion budget for UN peacekeeping operations for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, down slightly from the previous year, as delegates wrapped up weeks of negotiations amid warnings about persistent funding challenges.

Acting on the recommendation of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the Assembly endorsed the budgets for 12 missions, the logistics centres in Entebbe (Uganda) and Brindisi (Italy), and the support account for peacekeeping.

The budgets were adopted without a vote, except for the resolution on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was adopted by 147 votes in favour to 3 against (Argentina, Israel, and United States), with 1 abstention (Paraguay).

The adoption of UNIFIL’s budget followed an Israeli-proposed oral amendment, which was rejected by 5 votes in favour (Argentina, Canada, Israel, Paraguay, and US) to 83 against, with 57 abstentions.

Last year, the peacekeeping budget stood at $5.59 billion for 14 operations, meaning the 2025-2026 figure reflects a modest decrease, following final settlements of former missions in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.

Pressing liquidity challenges

Despite the agreement on the budgets, UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan outlined a sobering picture about the fragility of the UN’s broader liquidity situation.

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,” he told delegates last week as they concluded negotiations in the Fifth Committee.