By Asmau Ahmad
United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has presented a budget of$3.3 billion regular budget for 2024 to the fifth committee of the UN General Assembly.
The fifth Committee of the General Assembly is saddled with the responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters.
Guterres, while presenting the proposed budget for 2024, said that the budget was being put forward as the Member States face challenges on every front.
“The role of the United Nations has never been more vital – and we are stepping up our efforts,” he said.
To fully implement our mandates, the secretary-general said, we would require a total of US$3.3 billion.
“This includes a total of 10,334 posts, a net increase of 199, excluding special political missions. Most of the additional posts are required to implement new inter-governmental mandates,” he said.
Guterres warned that the UN’s liquidity situation had worsened this year with fewer collections through the end of the third quarter.
“Specifically, we have collected only 64 per cent this year compared to 71.9 per cent in 2022 and 82.7 per cent in 2021,” he said.
He, however, called on Member States to pay their dues fully and on time.
