The United Nations' top peacekeeping official defended the organization's missions worldwide amid growing concerns that they've gone into retreat as African leaders demand their withdrawal from Mali to Congo.
Undersecretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on Wednesday the 30,000-member force operates with a $5.5 billion budget - less than the operating budget for the New York City Police Department. He told delegates at a UN peacekeeping ministerial meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, that efforts had been hampered by divisions among member states.
