UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The General Assembly has approved a $5.4 billion budget for the United Nations’ regular operations during 2016 and 2017, a slight decrease from the $5.5 billion budget for the previous two years.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told diplomats following Wednesday night’s approval that the budget “reflects the difficult global financial reality we have faced for a number of years.”
He said “funding continues to shrink — while demands on the United Nations grow.”
The regular budget is separate from the budget for the U.N.’s far-flung peacekeeping operations, which totals $8.27 billion for the year ending June 30, 2016. Many U.N. agencies are funded by voluntary contributions from member states.
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The United States, the largest contributor, pays 22 percent of the regular budget followed by Japan with 9.68 percent.