The UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) has proposed a budget of $70 million for the UN Mission for the Referendum in Sahara (MINURSO) for the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, representing an increase of $6,151,800 (9.5%) compared with $64,559,200 approved for the 2023/24 period.
According to a report published on April 5, the cost estimated for military and police personnel for 2024/25 is $7 525.1 million, $25 441.6 million for civilian personnel, and $37 744.3 million for operational costs.
The report noted that “the proposed increase is attributable mainly to the application of higher mission subsistence allowance rates, which became effective on 1 January, 2024.”
The Advisory Committee said that the proposed resources for civilian personnel for 2024/25 reflect an increase of 12.2% ($2,763,400) compared to the allocation for 2023/24.
Higher common staff costs and post adjustment multipliers than in the 2023–2024 period, and under national General Service staff ($754,300), mainly due to higher national staff salary rates as of December 1, 2022, and the strengthening of the US dollar relative to the Moroccan dirham.
Concerning current and projected expenditures from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, the Advisory Committee said that, as of 29 February 2024, expenditures had amounted to $43,154,300 (or 66.8 %) of the appropriation of $64,559,200.
As of February 5, 2024, the Advisory Committee reported that Member States had been assessed a total of $1,590,109,000 for MINURSO since its establishment. As of that date, payments totaling $1,539,088,000 had been received, leaving an outstanding balance of $51,021,000.