Peacekeeping boom strains United Nations
By Matthew Verrinder
PLANS to greatly expand UN peacekeeping with missions in Sudan and Lebanon are raising fears the world body may be unable to handle the load as it tries to regain credibility after a series of scandals.
UN peacekeeping troops and spending could reach all-time highs as the United States and Britain push to send as many as 24,000 troops and police to Sudan’s Darfur region, and a force of 15,000 is now being pieced together to enforce a shaky cease-fire in southern Lebanon.
More than 110,000 UN troops and police could be on the ground in the coming months, an increase of 50 percent, at a time the world body already faces serious operational challenges and spending is tight.
UN uniformed peacekeepers now number about 73,000, and the peacekeeping budget for the current year has mushroomed to $4.75 billion. This comes at a time the United States, which funds about a quarter of that budget, faces election-year pressure to slash deficits…
Is Pakistan a UN benficier state or does Pakistan pay part of the UN budget in anyway?