ARMENIA CONTRIBUTES $49 THOUSAND TO UN BUDGET
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
22.05.2009 12:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United Nations regular budget for 2008-2009
is facing a USD 1.5 billion gap, most of which is caused by nine
countries, including the United States, Britain, China and Germany,
in arrears, a top official with the world body said on Friday.
Angela Kane, Under-Secretary-General for Management, told a press
conference that the countries in arrears – and accounting for more
than 90 per cent of the budget gap as of May 7 – are Brazil, China,
Germany, Iran, Mexico, Norway, Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom
and the United States.
The UN Controller’s office listed the arrears, as of May 7, as: USD
993 million (US), USD 121 million (UK), USD 104 million (Germany),
USD 53 million (South Korea), USD 33 million (China), USD 21 million
(Brazil), USD 19 million (Norway), USD 13 million (Iran) and USD 13
million (Mexico).
Russia has contributed USD 29 million, Georgia USD 73 thousand,
Armenia USD 49 thousand, Ukraine USD 1 million.
The remaining outstanding arrears amount to USD 85 million, according
to the office.
Kane said as of May 7, 76 countries had paid their regular budget
assessment in full, as opposed to 86 countries by the same date
last year.
She said she understood that in the present financial and economic
climate some "Member States are having a harder time meeting their
financial obligations." Last December the UN General Assembly
approved an almost 17 per cent increase in the current UN budget
for the 2008-2009 period to USD 4.87 billion from USD 4.17 billion,
including nearly USD 500 million for six months for peacekeeping
operations in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region.
Kane said there had been "significant improvement" in contributions
to the UN’s peacekeeping budget, with two Member States accounting
for 60 per cent of the outstanding arrears, and "high expectations"
that the largest payments would be made very soon. In addition,
21 Member States were fully paid up on the peacekeeping budget,
with the rest owing partial payments.
As for the UN’s USD 1.8 billion Capital Master Plan, which includes
among other items extensive renovations for the Headquarters building,
Kane said 84 Member States had either paid in full or are paying on
time through an installment plan, while 101 others had made partial
payments.
The UN has a membership of 192 countries. The General Assembly has
voted to allow seven countries to retain their voting right despite
their not having paid their dues.