Every other year, the Secretary-General presents detailed budget and appropriations estimates for the following biennium. (Until 1974 there were annual budgets.) These estimates are reviewed and sometimes revised by the Advisory Committee. The programmatic aspects are reviewed by the 34-member Committee for Program and Coordination.
Appropriations (Gross) 1946–2003 (in US$) | ||||
YEAR | APPROPRIATION | YEAR | APPROPRIATION | |
1946 | $19,390,000 | 1967 | 133,084,000 | |
1947 | 28,616,568 | 1968 | 141,787,750 | |
1948 | 39,285,736 | 1969 | 156,967,300 | |
1949 | 43,204,080 | 1970 | 168,956,950 | |
1950 | 44,520,773 | 1971 | 194,627,800 | |
1951 | 48,925,500 | 1972 | 208,650,200 | |
1952 | 50,547,660 | 1973 | 233,820,374 | |
1953 | 49,869,450 | 1974–75 | 606,033,000 | |
1954 | 48,528,980 | 1976–77 | 745,813,800 | |
1955 | 50,228,000 | 1978–79 | 996,372,900 | |
1956 | 50,683,350 | 1980–81 | 1,339,151,200 | |
1957 | 53,174,700 | 1982–83 | 1,472,961,700 | |
1958 | 61,121,900 | 1984–85 | 1,611,551,200 | |
1959 | 61,657,100 | 1986–87 | 1,711,801,200 | |
1960 | 65,734,900 | 1988–89 | 1,748,681,800 | |
1961 | 71,649,300 | 1990–91 | 2,134,072,100 | |
1962 | 85,818,220 | 1992–93 | 2,362,977,700 | |
1963 | 92,876,550 | 1994–95 | 2,580,200,200 | |
1964 | 101,327,600 | 1996–97 | 2,608,274,000 | |
1965 | 108,472,800 | 1998–99 | 2,488,302,000 | |
1966 | 121,080,530 | 2000–01 | 2,535,689,200 | |
2002–03 | 2,625,178,700 |
BUDGET FOR THE 2002–03 BIENNIUM | ||
AREA OF EXPENDITURE | ||
PURPOSE OF EXPENDITURE | AMOUNT (US$) | |
OVERALL POLICY-MAKING, DIRECTION AND COORDINATION | ||
Overall policy-making, direction and coordination | 49,365,800 | |
General Assembly affairs and conference services | 449,775,300 | |
TOTAL | 499,141,100 | |
POLITICAL AFFAIRS | ||
Political affairs | 155,016,300 | |
Disarmament | 15,432,300 | |
Peacekeeping operations | 73,600,700 | |
Peaceful uses of outer space | 4,044,800 | |
TOTAL | 248,094,100 | |
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE AND LAW | ||
International Court of Justice | 23,837,300 | |
Legal affairs | 35,265,800 | |
TOTAL | 59,103,100 | |
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT | ||
Economic and social affairs | 121,043,400 | |
Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States | 3,055,600 | |
Africa: New Agenda for Development | 5,932,700 | |
Trade and development | 84,858,400 | |
International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO | 18,022,600 | |
Environment | 7,660,200 | |
Human settlements | 11,541,800 | |
Crime prevention and criminal justice | 5,733,800 | |
International drug control | 15,289,100 | |
TOTAL | 273,137,600 | |
REGIONAL COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT | ||
Economic and social development in Africa | 80,760,100 | |
Economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific | 52,804,500 | |
Economic development in Europe | 40,605,900 | |
Economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean | 69,167,400 | |
Economic and social development in Western Asia | 49,095,200 | |
Regular programme of technical cooperation | 42,749,600 | |
TOTAL | 355,182,700 | |
HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS | ||
Human rights | 44,727,100 | |
Protection of and assistance to refugees | 42,890,400 | |
Palestine refugees | 24,828,400 | |
Humanitarian assistance | 20,011,600 | |
TOTAL | 132,457,500 | |
PUBLIC INFORMATION | ||
Public information | 144,719,200 | |
TOTAL | 144,719,200 | |
COMMON SUPPORT SERVICES | ||
Management and central support services | 428,530,500 | |
TOTAL | 428,530,500 | |
INTERNAL OVERSIGHT | ||
Internal oversight | 20,296,900 | |
TOTAL | 20,296,900 | |
JOINTLY FINANCED ACTIVITIES AND SPECIAL EXPENSES | ||
Jointly financed administrative activities | 8,436,600 | |
Special expenses | 69,340,500 | |
TOTAL | 77,777,100 | |
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES | ||
Construction, alteration, improvement and major maintenance | 45,423,600 | |
TOTAL | 45,423,600 | |
STAFF ASSESSMENT | ||
Staff assessment | 348,250,300 | |
TOTAL | 348,250,300 | |
DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT | ||
Development Account | 13,065,000 |
TOTAL | 13,065,000 |
TOTAL EXPENDITURES | 2,625,178,700 |
Aside from the regular budget, the General Assembly also allots a certain amount of money for unforeseen and extraordinary expenses and determines the level of the UN's Working Capital Fund, to which member nations advance sums in proportion to their assessed contributions to the regular budget. The fund is used to finance appropriations pending receipt of contributions and may also be drawn upon by the Secretary-General for other purposes determined by the General Assembly.
Since the expenses of the organization can never be precisely predicted, the Secretary-General reviews actual expenditures for the current year at each regular session of the General Assembly and proposes adjustments in the original appropriations. Usually, a supplemental budget is voted, but occasionally the General Assembly votes reductions.
It was estimated that expenditures for 2002–03 would be offset in the amount of US$ 484,295,400, to be derived as follows:
Under UN regulations, a percentage of the earnings of the entire UN staff is deducted in lieu of taxes and credited to "income." In order to avoid double taxation of staff members of US nationality, they are reimbursed by the UN for the taxes (federal, state, and city) levied on their UN earnings. The withholdings from the salaries of UN personnel of all other nationalities are credited to the member states' accounts against their assessed contributions. After taking into account staff assessments and other items of income, the net estimated amount remaining must be raised through assessed contributions from member states.
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