Diplomats
on Thursday resolved an unusually bitter dispute over how much United Nations peacekeepers
should be paid.
The
countries that send troops, mostly from South Asia and Africa, are currently
paid an average of $1,210 per soldier per month, a rate that has not changed
for about a decade.
The
payments will increase gradually over the next four years, according to an
agreement that is expected to be approved by the United Nations General
Assembly, to just over $1,400.
The
countries contributing troops had wanted a rate of more than $1,700, based on
an estimate provided by the United Nations Secretariat. Countries that fund
peacekeeping missions — the United States, Japan and France are the largest
funders — called that demand unrealistic.
The
total peacekeeping budget has increased to $8.6 billion, a record, though as
the United Nations points out, that are less than 1 percent of total military
expenditures worldwide. Each country decides how much of the reimbursement rate
goes to individual soldiers.
Source:
JULY 3, 2014, New York Times
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