Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING missions are in danger because of a funding crisis caused by non-payment of contributions by member States, the UN Secretary General has warned.
António Guterres issued the warning in a letter to UN workers on Friday. In the document he outlines that he has directed a 15% to 25% cut in spending by all missions to meet the shortfall.
Guterres’ comments come as the Irish involved Lebanese UNIFIL mission faces closure after a UN Security Council vote. Other UN missions have also suffered in the past number of years.
There are plans for a peacekeeping mission to Gaza, should the ceasefire hold, and there is also plans to dispatch a US backed stabilisation force to Haiti.
“Our peacekeeping operations are facing an extremely difficult financial situation.
“The current liquidity crisis is the direct result of arrears and the non-payment of assessed contributions in full and on time,” he said.
Guterres said that the UN General Assembly has taken measures to deal with the shortfall.
He said that at the start of the current peacekeeping budget cycle in July, there are arrears of US$2.066 billion (€1.75bn). The Secretary General said that collections are likely to fall short by US$880 million (€750m), which he said will put a further strain on operations.
The measures taken by Guterres included engaging with member states and the introduction of measures last year to align spending with the cash inflows.
He said thanks to the UN workforce as well as countries who are contributing police and military forces they have “managed to carry on”.
Guterres said that this now means that the contributing countries are “financing the system” and then are waiting for more than a year to be reimbursed.
“This is unsustainable. The margin of manoeuvre gained from earlier liquidity measures approved by the General Assembly, as well as our own spending restrictions, is now exhausted.
“Despite recent positive news that a sizeable amount from a major contributor will be entirely available to distribute flexibly across the peacekeeping missions and to establish a reserve a United Nations Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH), the reality remains: the overall shortfall is grave,” he added.
The cuts being introduced, Guterres said, will see 15% cuts to all peacekeeping missions – this will impact all areas. The UN is also directing their mission in Somalia to reduce spending by 25%.
He added that the fact that these reductions must be achieved in the next nine months means that the impact will be “greater”.
“The impact on civilian, international and locally recruited staff and affiliate personnel will be significant.
“Some separations [lay offs] will be inevitable, and missions will soon need to invoke the downsizing policy to reduce their civilian staffing, in consultation with staff representative bodies.
“I know the impact on affected staff, personnel and their families will be enormous, and I want to acknowledge the personal toll such measures entail,” he added.
Guterres said this is a situation the UN has never faced before and he said the true impact “remains uncertain”.
There is no information as yet about how this might impact Irish missions. A senior security source said that this may open the door for more NATO or EU led missions which would align with bodies such as the African Union.
UN peacekeeping operations have grown dramatically in recent years. At the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, there were 11,000 UN peacekeepers.
By 2014, there were 130,000 in 16 peacekeeping operations. At present, around 52,000 men and women serve in 11 conflict areas in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
The US had slashed its UN budget contributions in the wake of the Donald Trump election.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say