UNITAR Office in New York and Permanent Mission of Switzerland Host 2025 Joint Briefing on Budgetary Matters

Day one continued with presentations by Mr. Lionelito Berridge, Secretary of the Fifth Committee, and Ms. Felista Ondari, Executive Secretary of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ). A subsequent panel introduced delegates to the oversight architecture of the UN, featuring Mr. Kevin Summersgill, Officer-in-Charge of the Business Transformation and Accountability Division; Ms. Carolina Fernández Opazo, Inspector at the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU); Mr. David Nyskohus, Chief of Office at the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS); and Mr. Sejong Lee, Executive Secretary of the Board of Auditors (BoA).

On day two, experts from the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC) provided a detailed overview of the UN budget cycle, including peacekeeping and special political mission budgets. Ms. Alizee Treider, Programme Budget Officer in the Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget, outlined the overall budget process, while Ms. Taeko Shioiri, Chief of the Peacekeeping Budget Service, presented on peacekeeping and special political mission budgets. 

Later, Mr. Christophe Monier, Director of the Programme Planning and Budget Division, elaborated on the UN80 process for the Fifth Committee. The day concluded with a budget resolution drafting exercise led by Ms. Unis Valencia Williams, Chief of Service and Deputy Director for Budgets of the Development Pillar and Human Rights, giving participants first-hand experience with the procedures and negotiations that underpin Fifth Committee deliberations.