This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
On June 23, 2020, the United Nations reached an agreement to maintain its $6.5 billion peacekeeping budget, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to diplomats, the budget will remain unchanged, with flexibility to adapt to the global health crisis. This decision was made possible by the pandemic's impact on travel and troop rotations, which reduced costs, but also increased expenses for medical and protective gear.
The UN's peacekeeping operations, which run from July 1 to June 30, will be allowed to adjust their budgets accordingly. The most expensive operations are those in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and the Central African Republic, each costing around $1 billion annually.
The peacekeeping budget is separate from the UN's $3 billion operating budget, which runs from January to December.
A Japanese soldier prepares for the arrival of more UN peacekeepers in Juba, South Sudan, in 2016. (AFP/File/Albert GONZALEZ FARRAN)
