US owes $1.2 billion: UN

UNITED NATIONS: The UN is owed $4.1 billion by member nations with the US accounting for more than a quarter of the figure, a top UN official said on Thursday.

The global economic crisis has caused the new financial troubles at the world body, Under Secretary General for Management Angela Kane told reporters.

“It has been a difficult year in many ways for many member states because of the economic recession,” she said. “They have to tighten their belts.”

Kane said the US was the biggest non-payer, while Chile, Iran, Mexico, Venezuela accounted for nine percent of the arrears between them and another 68 countries made up three per cent of the missing money.

Only 13 countries out of the 192 UN members have paid all contributions to all the different UN functions, Kane explained. Some 119 have paid their share of the UN’s regular annual budget however.

The UN peacekeeping operation was short of $3.2 billion in contributions and the regular budget was down $787 million. UN courts and a fund to pay for the renovation of the UN headquarters in New York were also short of contributions.

The UN money shortfall has risen to $4.1 billion from $2.24 billion at the end of 2009, she said. According to Kane, the US total arrears of $1.2 billion included $691 million to the regular budget and $431 million to the giant peacekeeping division.

US Ambassador Susan Rice said that since US President Barack Obama came to office in January, 2009, the US has “paid our dues in full and on time. We continue to do so. We have also paid substantial prior arrears.” However, she said there are differences with the US over past debts.

“These are so-called contested arrears which have been a subject of difference since the 1990s and before.

“They mus be counting contested arrears if it gets to a figure which gets

close to anything like that,” she said of the $1.2 billion claim.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2010.