New York, March 31, 2018 (SPS) – UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres has proposed a budget of $53.87 million to maintain the functioning of the UN Mission for the referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso) for the mandate from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019.
The budget proposal does not include voluntary contributions worth $ 519,000, according to the General Secretariat document, seen by APS.
Guterres has practically maintained the same amount allocated to Minurso in 2017, which was then estimated at $ 52 million. The previous year's budget was also maintained in the wake of the major cuts made by the United Nations in the peacekeeping operations budget, under pressure from the United States.
The proposed budget covers the deployment of 218 military observers, 27 military personnel, 12 United Nations police officers, 82 international staff, 163 national staff, 18 United Nations volunteers and 10 staff members provided by governments, says the document.
Guterres' proposal will be considered next May by the UN's Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters, just after the Security Council consultations scheduled for April to extend the mandate of the Mission. (SPS)
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