About the Fifth Committee

Structure and Function

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), as reaffirmed by General Assembly resolution 45/248 B, Sect. VI, is the Main Committee of the General Assembly entrusted with responsibilities for administration and budgetary matters.

The General Assembly considers and approves the budget of the Organization, in accordance with Article 17 of the Charter of the United Nations. The Assembly also considers and approves financial and budgetary arrangements with specialized agencies making recommendations to the agencies concerned.

Due to the increased workload of the Fifth Committee during the past years, it has now become the standard practice that the Committee meets, not only during the main part of the General Assembly session (September to December) but during resumed sessions, in March and in May of a given year.

During the main part of the session, the Fifth Committee considers issues that require the approval of the General Assembly for funding by the end of the year. The resumed session held in March deals with issues that were not completed during the main part of the session. In accordance with General Assembly resolution 49/233 of 23 December 1994, the Committee considers, at its resumed session in May each year, items relating to the financing of peacekeeping operations. Subject to the urgency of the matter, the Fifth Committee may consider the financing of a peacekeeping mission authorized by the Security Council at any of its sessions.