An advisory committee on the United Nations budget approved the creation Friday of new positions in the peacekeeping department in New York, only partially meeting Secretary General Kofi Annan's request.
In a resolution adopted by consensus, the committee put in motion the creation of 95 new peacekeeping jobs, in contrast to the 249 positions requested by Annan.
While the committee did not flatly reject creating the additional posts, they will be subject to review next year.
The UN noted, however, that the approved positions were a "first step" and the most pressing positions could be filled immediately.
Annan had adopted a report compiled by former Algerian ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi, recommending drastic reforms allowing the UN to adapt better to extended peacekeeping efforts worldwide, after experiences in Bosnia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone highlighted deficiencies.
One of the conclusions of the report was that peacekeeping operations out of New York needed back-up in their planning department, notably in managing the deployment of the UN's almost 40,000 peacekeepers worldwide -- UNITED NATIONS (AFP)
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