The United Nations General Assembly handed down a victory to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon when it decided by consensus to split the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), a move over which several developing nations had shown strong reservations when the proposal was put forward. Simultaneously, it also approved a record USD 5.25 billion budget for 13 active peacekeeping operations, the Press Trust of India reported today. After months of wrangling, the 192-member Assembly agreed to create a new Department of Field Support to look after management and logistic under the supervision of an Under-Secretary-General. The Peacekeeping Department will now concentrate on operations and will also be headed by an Under-Secretary-General.
