The United Nations General Assembly has approved a $3.45 billion regular budget for 2026, covering the Organization’s three core pillars: peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights. This budget is approximately $200 million higher than the Secretary-General’s proposal prepared under the UN80 reform initiative but remains about 7 percent lower than the approved 2025 budget. The regular budget finances the UN’s core activities, including political affairs, international justice and law, regional development cooperation, human rights, humanitarian efforts, and public information, and operates on a calendar year, separate from the UN peacekeeping budget.
The budget approval followed intensive negotiations within the Fifth Committee, the Assembly’s main administrative and budgetary body. UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan praised the Committee for completing a complex and compressed budget process in under six weeks, noting the production of hundreds of tables and responses to thousands of questions from oversight bodies and Member States. He emphasized that reaching consensus remains a remarkable hallmark of the UN’s budgetary process despite the challenges involved.
Looking ahead, the Controller highlighted that the adoption of the budget marks the start of a demanding implementation phase. As of 1 January 2026, 2,900 positions will be abolished, while over 1,000 staff separations have already been finalized. Managing these transitions will require ensuring that affected personnel continue to receive salaries and entitlements. He also welcomed a record level of potential advance payments by Member States toward the 2026 budget and urged continued timely payment of assessed contributions to support smooth implementation.
