The Jerusalem Post is reporting that the UN General Assembly has adopted a two-year budget — though the U.S. voted against it.
The JPost wrote that “The 142-1 vote in the 192-member world body climaxed weeks of discussions and an all-night session that failed to reach consensus because of US objections that the budget included $6.7 million (€4.66 million) for a follow-up to the 2001 World Conference Against Racism which the US considered to be anti-Israeli. The budget is traditionally approved by consensus but the United States demanded a vote in the General Assembly’s budget committee late Friday night because of the insistence of key developing nations that the anti-racism conference be funded from the regular UN budget rather than by voluntary contributions … Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed regret ‘that the resolution was not adopted by consensus, marking a break with tradition after 20 years’, the UN spokesman’s office said in a statement Saturday”.
The JPost recalled that “The United States and Israel walked out of the September 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa, because of attacks on the Jewish state. The European Union nearly walked out but stayed until the end”.
The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that “If we had achieved our goal with Durban, then the prospect of our joining the consensus would have been excellent”. But, according to the JPost report, Khalilzad said that the secretary-general did not get approval for two key requests – a new and more secure building in Baghdad for UN staff and offices, and funds to beef up the UN Department of Political Affairs and broaden its activities, including conflict prevention. Khalilzad said these and other issues will be taken up in March, and could add additional costs to the budget”.
The new UN budget is for $4.17 billion for the next two years.
The JPost report is published here.