UN: The UN General Assembly passed a record-breaking $3.2 billion peacekeeping budget for the next 12 months that may rise to $5 billion.
The $3.2 billion was for 14 peacekeeping missions, with the largest operations in Africa, to cover estimated costs from July 1st, 2005, to June 30th, 2006.
But UN budget figures show the sum does not include an increase in troops for the Democratic Republic of Congo and other missions or a new operation in southern Sudan, authorised at some 10,000 soldiers, to monitor an agreement between the Khartoum government and southern rebels. Those missions could cost an additional $1.8 billion.
Other ongoing operations are in Liberia, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Cyprus, Lebanon, Georgia, the Golan Heights, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Kosovo, East Timor and Western Sahara.
The current ventures, excluding Sudan, at the end of April comprised some 66,546 military personnel and international police as well as 4,530 international civilians staff and 8,468 local staff.
Peacekeeping costs are divided among the UN members according to their national wealth and with the five permanent Security Council nations, which authorise the operations, charged an extra percentage.