Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06USUNNEWYORK2236
2006-12-08 23:39:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USUN New York
Cable title:  

UN BUDGET: BUDGET OUTLINE FOR BIENNIUM 2008-2009

Tags:  AORC UNGA KUNR 
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VZCZCXYZ0264
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #2236 3422339
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 082339Z DEC 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0913
UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 002236 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC UNGA KUNR
SUBJECT: UN BUDGET: BUDGET OUTLINE FOR BIENNIUM 2008-2009

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 002236

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC UNGA KUNR
SUBJECT: UN BUDGET: BUDGET OUTLINE FOR BIENNIUM 2008-2009


1. This is an action request. The Fifth Committee will soon
consider the Secretary-General's proposed budget outline for
the biennium 2008-2009 (A/61/576). USUN requests guidance
for the upcoming discussion.


2. The Secretary-General's preliminary estimate for the
biennium 2008-2009 is $4,138.5 million, as compared to a
current 2006-2007 appropriation of $3,839.5 million. The
proposal for the 2008-2009 biennium includes a two year
estimate for special political missions, whereas the current
appropriation only includes one year of funding. The
Secretary-General's estimate does not include one-time costs

SIPDIS
incurred in the current biennium, the results of further
decisions that may be taken by the General Assembly during
the course of the sixty-first session, and the impact of
inflation and exchange rate changes. The Secretary-General
seeks approval of his estimate in order to prepare his
proposed program budget for the biennium 2008-2009. In
addition, he recommends that the General Assembly agree to
the same priorities for the biennium 2008-2009 as were
included in the proposed strategic framework, namely:
maintenance of international peace and security; promotion of
sustained economic growth and sustainable development in
accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions and
recent United Nations conferences; development of Africa;
promotion of human rights; effective coordination of
humanitarian assistance efforts; promotion of justice and
international law; disarmament; and drug control, crime
prevention and combating international terrorism in all its
forms and manifestations. The Advisory Committee on
Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) recommends
that the General Assembly agree to preliminary estimate for
the biennium that includes figures at revised 2006-2007 rates
or $4,219.7 million (A/61/615).


3. The Secretary-General also proposes to increase the level
of the contingency fund from 0.75 percent of the outline
estimate to 1.35 percent, due to concerns about the potential
exhaustion of the fund at early stages of a biennium. The
ACABQ, in its report, notes that the contingency fund is a
percentage of the overall level of resources, therefore it
increases as the budget level increases. The ACABQ also
states that the level of the contingency fund has almost
never been exceeded and recalls the additional discretion for
budgetary implementation that has been provided to the
Secretary-General through resolution 60/283. Therefore,

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ACABQ recommends that the contingency fund remain at 0.75
percent.
BOLTON

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