The United Nations General Assembly has approved a budget of US$3.59 billion for the year 2024, which includes the establishment of a special account to finance the organization’s peace-building fund. This decision was disclosed by the Office of the President of the General Assembly in a statement released on Sunday. The budget was officially approved on Friday by the 193-member General Assembly. Additionally, nearly US$50 million in extra funding was allocated for decisions made by the UN's Human Rights Council, the primary forum for human rights matters.

Furthermore, the General Assembly decided to establish the Peace-building Account, a dedicated multi-year special account, as a means to finance the Peace-building Fund. It also approved US$50 million of assessed contributions per annum to fund the Account, starting from January 1, 2025. The Peace-building Fund serves as the UN’s primary tool to invest in prevention and peace-building efforts, supporting joint responses to address critical peace-building opportunities that connect development, humanitarian, human rights, and peace-building pillars.

In a separate development, the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, welcomed the Security Council’s unanimous adoption of Resolution 2719 (2023) on the financing of African Union-led Peace Support. This resolution aims to address long-standing and critical gaps in the international peace and security architecture, particularly in relation to peace and security challenges on the African continent. The Secretary-General expressed his commitment to further strengthening the strategic partnership with the African Union, including through the implementation of this milestone resolution.

Additionally, the General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the killing of UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East staff and the destruction of buildings under the UN flag during the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip. As of Saturday, 142 UNRWA staff members have been killed and 123 installations damaged, with other UN agencies also reporting the loss of personnel.

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