By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 23, updated -- Just before six pm on Friday, Inner City Press was informed by a developing world Deputy Permanent Representative that a partial UN budget deal was done. While diplomats milled about unaware of or speculating about the back room deal, Inner City Press obtained a one-page itemization of this (partial) Final Deal of $5,152,299.60.
The controversial post recosting was deferred to November 2012. "Additional cuts" included $10 million from DGACM "non-post" expenses, down to smaller changes like the reclassification of Chinese and Kiswahili Radio, and "Non-post Wall Palestine."
Other changes: $427,000 for two P-4 posts in the PBSO -- not the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office but the PeaceBuilding Support Office; $220,000 for a D-1 for "Rule of Law... and retain P-5;" new posts in Portuguese Radio and changes at the Russian New Center; and money for Webcasting. One awaited comment, or at least tweets, from US Ambassador for Management Joe Torsella.
[Update: Inner City Press greeted Torsella at 7:35 pm; he sat speed-reading documents as fighting continued about Special Political Missions.]
A UPR Paragraph was agreed on: "Decides to reclassify one P5 post to D1 under subprogram 4, and requests the SG to designate capacity to support UPR and to report in the context of the performance report." UPR is Universal Periodic Review.
