Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

The United Nations General Assembly has approved a two-year UN budget of $US5.6 billion for 2010 - 2011.

That compares with a revised figure of $US4.87 billion for the past two years.

The budget does not include peace-keeping, currently running at some $US8 billion a year, or the costs of several major UN agencies.

However, Western countries say they have won savings on the cost of the organization.

The budget was approved by the 192 nation assembly early on Thursday after a tussle between poor countries which want more spending on development and major developed countries.

The biggest single contributor is the United States, which pays 22%of the budget.