India’s Rep Says Its Dues Are ‘All Paid’ to Cash-strapped UN

Sixty four of 193 members have not paid their annual dues — including the United States, its largest contributor.

Flags fly outside the UN headquarters during the 74th session of the UNGA on 28 September.

(Photo: AP)

Days after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the UN is facing its “worst cash crisis” in nearly a decade, India’s ambassador and permanent representative to the organisation, Syed Akbaruddin, tweeted saying “All paid” adding that India was one of only 35 countries that had no dues pending.

On Tuesday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the secretary-general had written to all members saying “the organisation runs the risk of depleting its liquidity reserves by the end of the month and defaulting on payments to staff and vendors.”

By the end of September, Dujarric said, member states had paid only 70 percent of the total assessment for the regular budget, compared with 78 percent at the same time last year.

According to the UN, 129 countries had paid $1.99 billion in dues for the UN's 2019 operating budget by Tuesday. It said $1.386 billion is owed for this year.

In addition to the United States, other countries that haven't paid their dues are Brazil, Iran, Israel, Mexico, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.

Because of the US government's budget calendar, Washington usually pays its dues in October.

According to the UN, the US owes $674 million for the 2019 regular budget and $381 million for previous regular budgets.

The US is also in arrears in payments for the separate budget for the UN's far-flung peacekeeping operations. It owes $255 million for peacekeeping missions that have been closed and $2 billion for active peacekeeping missions, according to the UN.

Dujarric said measures the UN Secretariat put in place early in the year to align expenditures with cash inflows have averted “major disruptions” but “are no longer enough.”

Secy Gen Requests Several Steps to Avert Crisis

Since the UN Secretariat could face a default in salaries and payments by the end of November, Dujarric said that the secretary-general has requested immediate steps including further reductions in official travel and postponing spending for goods and services.

In addition, Dujarric said, events scheduled outside official meeting hours are being discontinued and conferences and meetings may have to be postponed or their services adjusted.

The secretary-general stressed that cash flow is a recurrent problem and the UN is now driven to prioritise work based on cash availability, thus undermining its mandates and obligations “to the people we serve,” Dujarric said.

“The secretary-general therefore looks to member states to resolve the structural issues that underlie this annual crisis without further delay.”

Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesman

(With inputs from AP.)