The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered the Secretary-General’s appeal for nearly $423 million in 2027 for three dozen special political missions as several delegations again pushed for the creation of a special financing mechanism to sustain them.
Citing the missions’ role in preventing conflicts in global hotspots, delegates urged each other to build on the consensus reached last year to streamline the missions’ budget. “It is vital that we sustain this momentum and continue to support these efforts,” said Japan’s representative, adding the missions must operate efficiently and effectively to ensure accountability to Member States and their taxpayers.
The European Union’s speaker agreed, saying meaningful reform means “strengthened impact on the ground”. Derived from relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, mandates must be matched by adequate and predictable financing. “This requires all Member States to pay their assessed contributions in full, on time and without conditions, so that missions have the necessary means to deliver effectively on their mandates,” she added.
Singapore, speaking for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said missions must be given the resources needed to deliver. “Resources must follow mandates, and resources must be used well”, he said. Mission funding must be improved by creating a separate account, aligned with the peacekeeping operations budget cycle. “A separate account would better reflect these operational realities and help shield the missions from liquidity constraints affecting the regular budge”, he said.
The Dominican Republic’s representative, speaking for a group of Latin American and Caribbean countries, agreed and reiterated the group’s stance that funding for these missions should be channelled through a special and separate account. This could be budgeted annually from July to June and apply the scale of assessments used for peacekeeping operations. Even with three less missions than in 2026, these entities make up about 13 per cent of the 2027 proposed programme budget. Secretariat officials pointed out the financial challenges surrounding the present financing situation back in October 2011. “Fifteen years later, despite the notable weight of these missions in the regular budget, a reasonable response has yet to be provided”, he said.
Recognizing the missions’ relevance yet noting they are conceived solely by the Security Council, Cuba’s representative supported a separate funding account “with criteria that reflect the principal role that the permanent members of the Security Council are called upon to play in matters relating to peace”.
Speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Jamica’s delegate agreed with the need to protect resources during ongoing financial constraints yet backed adequate support for the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). This will support “a credible, inclusive, Haitian-led and Haitian-owned electoral process”. She noted that proposed 2027 resources for BINUH had declined by 2.2 per cent.
Calls for More African Leadership in Missions, Support for Regional Service Centre in Entebbe
Djibouti, speaking for the African Group, said the Group is concerned with the underrepresentation of Africa in senior leadership and professional positions in the missions. “We reiterate the importance of equitable geographical representation at all levels, including Under-Secretary-General, Assistant Secretary-General, director and professional positions”, he said. Maximizing national staff participation, which strengthens national capacities, promotes institutional continuity and contributes to confidence-building with host Governments, is also essential.
The Regional Service Centre in Entebbe remains a strategic component of the Organization's global support architecture, he said. The Group notes the proposed allocation of $3.26 million towards the Centre's financing and reiterates the importance of adequate and predictable resources to sustain its operations.
2027 Proposed Budget: The Numbers in Detail
Chandramouli Ramanathan, UN Controller and Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Finance and Budget, said the $422.7 million proposed budget figure (net of staff assessment and inclusive of the requirements for Regional Service Centre in Entebbe) is down 21 per cent, or $113.5 million, from the 2026 appropriation. The net decrease of $113.5 million reflects a reduction of $121.5 million due to the closing of three missions: the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS); the United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA); and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). That amount was offset by a net increase of $8 million for continuing missions, mainly due to increased requirements under civilian personnel. The proposed resources reflect a net decrease of 89 posts/positions.
While acknowledging the Secretariat’s efforts to identify greater efficiencies, Juliana Gaspar Ruas, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, said the impact of the UN80 reforms on the missions’ mandate delivery needs greater assessment.
Links to all the reports related to the 2027 special political missions budgets can be found on the Fifth Committee Programme of Work.
A Look at 2025 Spending
Mr. Ramanathan then turned to the financial performance of the 2025 programme budget for 2025 with the presentation of the Secretariat’s report (document A/81/78). The Secretary-General has withdrawn two options for action, detailed on paragraph 86 of the report, since the Assembly revised the credit-return methodology after the report was issued. As discussed during a closed session on 9 October, the Organization’s liquidity situation has improved owing to the collection of contributions in August and September 2026. “While the worst-case liquidity scenario for 2026 seems to have been avoided, liquidity remains constrained, requiring continued careful spending throughout the year”, he said.
Gaspar Ruas introduced the Advisory Committee’s eponymous report (document A/81/7/Add.5).
Urugay’s delegate, again speaking for the Group of 77, emphasized the need for transparent and accountable implementation of the revised methodology. The Group supports dedicated reporting on its annual application, including clear information on credits returned and outstanding balances, and timely application of the mandated memorandum accounts and disclosure arrangements. “These safeguards are essential to enable Member States to assess implementation and inform the Assembly’s review”, he said, urging the Secretariat to quickly adjust Umoja and provide a clear timeline for making information on the memorandum accounts publicly available and accessible.