As part of the management reforms proposed by Secretary-General António Guterres, the UN is switching from a biennial to an annual budget on a trial basis, beginning with the programme budget for 2020.
Since budget documents can be hard to find, the Dag Hammarskjöld Library has put together some tips on locating documents related to the proposed programme budget for 2020. The tips are part of our popular Ask DAG service, a continuously growing collection of frequently asked questions about all things UN.
Not only has the budget cycle changed, but so has the format of the proposed programme budget. According to the report of the Secretary-General on improving and streamlining the programme planning and budgeting process, the new format would present, for the first time in one document, the previous year’s original programme plan, the measurement of the previous year’s performance, the lessons learned and the programme plan for the proposed budget year. Performance would be measured not only in quantitative, but also in qualitative, terms. It is anticipated that information on results would be more meaningful and would more effectively communicate the added value of the Organization’s work (A/72/492/Add.1).
For more in-depth information, check out our extensive budget research guide, which documents major changes to the budget process, explains the principal budgeting bodies and their role in the process, provides links to all the resolutions on the programme budget, and helps you find all relevant documents in the UN Digital Library. The guide also includes a special section on the financing of UN peacekeeping operations.
