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Quadrennial Survey

A system of reimbursement has been in place since the 1980s to compensate troop- and police-contributing countries for the costs of deploying uniformed personnel in contingents to United Nations peacekeeping operations. In 2013, on the basis of the recommendations of a Senior Advisory Group on rates of reimbursement to troop- and police-contributing countries and other related issues (A/C.5/67/10), the General Assembly established a new framework to inform its periodic consideration of the rate of reimbursement.
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At the core of the recommendations of the Senior Advisory Group, as adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 67/261, is the goal of establishing an effective, transparent and equitable system for regularly reviewing the rate of reimbursement to countries contributing contingents to United Nations peacekeeping operations. Such a system is based on actual data regarding the common, additional and essential costs  [General Assembly resolution 55/274] incurred by troop- and police-contributing countries.

The General Assembly did not request the Secretary-General to make a recommendation on the actual rate of reimbursement for the contribution of personnel. However, with a view to assisting the Assembly in making an informed decision on the rate the targeted and interactive approach to be used included:

  • The collection of data from a sample of countries representing the full range of troop contributions.

  • A focused set of questions that facilitate a meaningful analytical review.

  • An interactive data-gathering exercise that allows for explanations and clarifications, as well as direct engagement with the sample countries.

  • The possibility of accessing open-source information for comparison.

  • A one-year time period for the collection, analysis and review of data.

  • Sign-off on the data by the highest-ranking financial official in the relevant government ministry.

As mandated by the General Assembly, data is collected from 10 Sample Countries in five cost categories: allowances; personal kit and equipment; predeployment medical expenses; inland transportation; and United Nations-specific predeployment training.

The 10 Sample Countries are selected from the top 20 troop- and police-contributors over the immediately previous three-year period. The selection of sample countries is based on the relative proportional contribution in each of the four World Bank Income Category classifications (Low, Lower-middle, Upper-middle, and High). The General Assembly has also stipulated that the 10 Sample Countries must represent a collective minimum of 50 per cent of the troop and police contributions made over the previous three-year period and must be willing to provide the required data with the assistance of a survey team.

In keeping with the recommendations of the Senior Advisory Group, as approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 67/261, once a new base has been approved, a full review is conducted every four years with data gathered from a newly selected sample.

In 2013, the Secretariat undertook the first revised survey based on the new methodological framework. The General Assembly, upon considering the data collected and presented in the associated report of the Secretary-General (A/68/813), welcomed the results of the revised survey in its resolution 68/281. The General Assembly also decided to establish a single rate of reimbursement to countries contributing contingent personnel to United Nations field operations in the amount of $1,332 per-person per-month as from 1 July 2014, increasing to $1,365 per-person per-month as from 1 July 2016, and increasing to $1,410 per-person per-month as from 1 July 2017.

In 2017, the Secretariat undertook the second survey applying the new methodology. The data collected were presented in the report of the Secretary-General (A/72/728). A reimbursement rate of $1,428 per-person per-month for uniformed personnel deployed in formed units was established by the General Assembly in its 2018 resolution 72/285. This reimbursement rate was in effect from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2022.

The most recent Quadrennial Survey was conducted in 2021. The associated report of the Secretary-General (A/76/676) was taken up the General Assembly in the seventy-sixth session. General Assembly resolution 76/276 established a reimbursement rate of $1,448 per-person per-month for uniformed personnel deployed in formed units. A further $4.90 per-person per-month for COVID-19 testing will be reimbursable subject to continued mandatory pre-deployment requirements.