UNMIN to get $88.8m

http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=104314
March 27 2007

KATHMANDU, March 22 - The Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which looks after administrative and budgetary matters, is all set to approve a budget of $88.8 million (Rs 6.22 billion) for the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), on Thursday.

According to Madhu Raman Acharya, Nepal's ambassador to the UN, the General Assembly is preparing a resolution approving the budget, which is being passed by Thursday. All the member states have agreed to the budget in "informal consultations", Acharya said over the phone from New York.

The budget is about $3 million less than the $91.5 million proposed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. However, the Fifth Committee has reversed a decision of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) to cut down 13 positions. The ACABQ had suggested cutting down the positions of field-based civil affairs officers and some political officers.

According to Acharya, there will be altogether 1080 staffs (389 national, 280 international and 258 UN volunteers) at the UNMIN.

The UN Security Council on January 23 had adopted unanimously a United Kingdom-sponsored resolution, authorizing establishment of the UNMIN, as proposed by Secretary-General Ban. The UNMIN will have 186 military inspectors besides electoral experts and police and civil administration teams.

The new resolution has stressed the need of "timely recruitment" of the human resources required for the UNMIN, and "prudent and efficient use of resources".

To update the media on developments in New York and in Nepal, Ian Martin, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, is giving a briefing Thursday afternoon.