General News
Nigeria Settles UN Dues As Jimoh Leads $3.3bn Budget Negotiations
By Iyojo Ameh
Nigeria has fulfilled its financial obligations to the United Nations for 2026, paying its full assessed contribution to the organisation’s regular budget and making payments towards peacekeeping operations totalling approximately $6.3 million.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ibrahim Jimoh, disclosed this on Tuesday while presiding over the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee during the presentation of the proposed $3.302 billion budget for 2027 by Secretary-General António Guterres.
Jimoh praised President Bola Tinubu for ensuring that Nigeria met its financial commitments despite the UN’s growing liquidity challenges.
He called on other member states to honour their obligations without delay, warning that predictable funding was essential for the organisation to sustain its operations and programmes.
“Member countries must pay their dues on time, on schedule, without conditions,” the Nigerian envoy said.
He also thanked countries that had paid their assessments and expressed hope that others would fulfil their obligations.
As chair of the Fifth Committee, which handles the UN’s administrative and budgetary affairs, Jimoh introduced measures to make deliberations more efficient. The measures include limiting national statements to three minutes and group statements to five minutes.
He explained that the restrictions were intended to save time and improve the conduct of proceedings.
Presenting the proposed budget, Guterres warned that mounting geopolitical tensions, persistent conflicts, climate disruption and rapid technological changes were placing increasing pressure on the UN.
He said humanitarian needs were rising while respect for international law was declining, adding that the Sustainable Development Goals were increasingly difficult to achieve.
The proposed 2027 programme budget is $3.302 billion and covers 11,150 posts. It would increase to $3.408 billion when major construction projects in Nairobi and the Strategic Heritage Plan in Geneva are included.
Guterres said the proposal was $40.8 million, or 1.2 per cent, below the approved 2026 budget, reflecting reforms under the UN80 initiative aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and service delivery.
The Secretary-General disclosed that the Secretariat had taken steps to manage the effects of eliminating 3,116 regular budget posts. These include voluntary early separation, staff reassignment and measures to maintain workforce diversity.
The restructuring plan also proposes relocating 44 additional functions across 12 UN entities, with Nairobi receiving the largest share, alongside the abolition or downgrading of 14 senior-level positions.
Guterres, however, stressed that cost-cutting and administrative reforms could not replace reliable funding.
“Efficiency alone cannot compensate for an unstable financial foundation,” he said, urging member states to make their contributions fully and on time.
He added that the timely availability of funds remained critical to the UN’s capacity to respond to global crises and deliver on its mandate.