Summary: The United Nation's (U.N.) cost of peacekeeping is likely to exceed current estimates provided for in its 2001 U .N. peacekeeping budget. GAO estimates that the cost of U.N. peacekeeping funded from the 2001 U.N. peacekeeping budget will be about $2.7 billion, which exceeds the amount currently budgeted by about $600 million. GAO's estimate includes additional appropriations in the United Nations will consider for missions in the Congo and East Timor when budgets for these missions are revised or fully developed later this year. GAO's estimate also includes anticipated increases for expanded operations in Sierra Leone, Ethiopia-Eritrea, and Lebanon. The major uncertainties in estimating the cost of peacekeeping include: (a) whether each mission's area of operation is sufficiently secure and will allow planned or proposed increases in troops and operations to proceed; (b) if so, when the troops might be deployed and operations expanded; and (c) whether the costs for building infrastructure have been accurately forecast.
