Peacekeeping financial period

The peacekeeping financial period runs the 12-month period from 1 July to 30 June. It was established by the General Assembly in resolution 49/233 of 23 December 1994, with effect from 1 July 1995. Establishment of a separate financial period for peacekeeping operations was established to address the increasing workload for the Secretariat, the ACABQ and the Fifth Committee, and was linked to a rearrangement of the annual Fifth Committee session between a main and resumed sessions.

Missed deadlines
In three instances, the General Assembly has not been able to adopt peacekeeping financing resolutions before the start of the financial period. It has taken two different approaches to this situation.

Approach 1: Stopping the clock
In the 68th session, the 99th plenary meeting of the General Assembly was called to order at 3:15 PM on 30 June 2014 (before the end of the 2013/14 financial period), suspended ten minutes later, and resumed at 3:45 PM on 3 July to consider the reports of the Fifth Committee. The resolutions adopted on calendar date 3 July were still dated 30 June because they were considered to have been adopted during the meeting that began on 30 June.

Approach 2: Retroactive appropriation
72nd session

The Fifth Committee did not reach agreement on peacekeeping financing resolutions until 5 July 2018. As a result, the General Assembly adopted decision 72/558 indicating that the resolutions were effective as of 1 July:

72/558 Effective date of resolutions relating to the peacekeeping budget and special political missions

At its 104th plenary meeting, on 5 July 2018, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee, decided that all resolutions relating to the peacekeeping budget and special political missions adopted at its 104th meeting, on 5 July 2018, under agenda items 136, 149 to 154 and 156 to 165, would be effective as from 1 July 2018.

73rd session

The Fifth Committee also did not reach agreement on peacekeeping financing resolutions until 3 July 2019. As a result, the General Assembly adopted decision 73/555 indicating that the resolutions were effective as of 1 July.

Documents

 * A/49/664 Administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of the United Nations peace-keeping operations (ACABQ report; see section III C)
 * A/73/723 Opening of the regular sessions of the General Assembly