UN FINANCES: IMPROVING THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 002166 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC UNGA KUNR SUBJECT: UN FINANCES: IMPROVING THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS REF: A. USUN 2127 ¶B. A/61/556 ¶1. SUMMARY: ON NOVEMBER 9 AND 15TH , THE FIFTH COMMITTEE (ADMINISTRATIVE AND BUDGETARY) RESUMED CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION ON IMPROVING THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS. CONTROLLER WARREN SACH HAD PREVIOUSLY (REFTEL) EMPHASIZED THE FOLLOWING THREE POINTS IN HIS STATEMENT PERTAINING TO REGULAR BUDGET, PEACEKEEPING AND SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS: 1) THE UN WILL HAVE TO BORROW 200 MILLION DOLLARS FROM ITS RESERVE ACCOUNT IF OUTSTANDING ASSESSMENTS ARE NOT PAID; 2) THERE WILL BE NO REIMBURSEMENT FOR TROOP CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, AND; 3) THE UN WILL FACE A FINANCIAL CRISIS IF A SCALE IS NOT ADOPTED BY THE END OF THE YEAR. DURING THE DEBATE 16 FORMAL STATEMENTS WERE DELIVERED, MANY FOCUSING ON THE OUTSTANDING DUES OWED BY THE U.S., THE GROWING PROJECTED DEBT OF THE UN (AND HOW THAT WILL AFFECT THE ABILITY OF MEMBER STATES TO PROVIDE TROOPS AND/OR EQUIPMENT TO PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS),THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF TRIBUNALS AND THE CAPITAL MASTER PLAN, AND THE BURDEN OF UN ASSESSMENTS ON THE DEVELOPING WORLD. END SUMMARY. -------------- STATEMENTS ON THE UN FINANCIAL SITUATION -------------- ¶2. DURING FORMAL STATEMENTS ON THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE UN, SEVERAL MEMBER STATES FOCUSED ON PAYMENT OF ASSESSMENTS, THE GROWING PROJECTED DEBT OF THE ORGANIZATION, AND THE BURDEN OF UN ASSESSMENTS ON THE DEVELOPING WORLD. SOUTH AFRICA (ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA) STATED THAT THE UN MIGHT FACE A FINANCIAL CRISIS UNLESS THE ORGANIZATION'S LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR, THE U.S., WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR 80 PERCENT OF THE OUTSTANDING DUES TO THE REGULAR BUDGET, PAID ITS DUES IN FULL TO ALL ACCOUNTS. IF NOT, THE ORGANIZATION WOULD HAVE TO BORROW OVER 200 MILLION FROM THE RESERVE ACCOUNT BY THE END OF DECEMBER. THE G77 NOTED THAT THE ORGANIZATION WOULD BE UNABLE TO "MAINTAIN THE MOMENTUM OF THE WORLD SUMMIT" UNLESS MEMBER STATES ACTED ON THEIR CHARTER OBLIGATIONS. ¶3. SOUTH AFRICA RECALLED THAT THE RATIONALE FOR REDUCING THE CEILING FOR THE MAIN CONTRIBUTOR TO 22 PERCENT HAD BEEN TO FACILITATE PAYMENT OF ARREARS TO IMPROVE THE UN'S FINANCIAL SITUATION. THERE WERE INDICATIONS THAT THE RATIONALE HAD NOT BEEN MET AND THAT THE MAIN CONTRIBUTOR HAD NOT HONORED ITS UNDERTAKINGS, SHE SAID. THE SOUTH AFRICAN DELEGATE CONCLUDED BY EXTENDING HER SYMPATHETIC UNDERSTANDING TO MEMBER STATES UNABLE TO MEET FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS DUE TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS BEYOND THEIR CONTROL. CUBA ALSO CALLED ON THE U.S. BY NAME TO COMPLY WITH THE UN CHARTER TO PAY ITS ARREARS ON-TIME AND IN FULL. THE CUBAN DELEGATE LINKED THEIR DIFFICULTIES TO PAY TO THE EMBARGO AND RESERVED HIS RIGHT TO COMMENT ON THIS TOPIC UNDER OTHER AGENDA ITEMS (PRESUMABLY SCALES). SUPPORTING THE STATEMENT BY THE G77 AND CHINA WERE GUYANA (ON BEHALF OF THE RIO GROUP),LAOS (ON BEHALF OF ASEAN),KUWAIT, BANGLADESH, MALAYSIA, VENEZUELA, INDIA, ZAMBIA, IRAN AND SINGAPORE. ¶4. FINLAND (ON BEHALF OF THE EUROPEAN UNION) NOTED THE "VICIOUS CYCLE" OF PLANNING MANDATES AND THE INABILITY TO ADEQUATELY EXECUTE THEM BECAUSE OF SEVERE CASH-FLOW DIFFICULTIES. NOTING THE 2.5 BILLION DOLLARS IN OUTSTANDING PAYMENTS FOR PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE EU REITERATED ITS SUPPORT FOR CONSOLIDATION OF PEACEKEEPING ACCOUNTS TO IMPROVE THE LIQUIDITY OF INDIVIDUAL MISSIONS, FACILITATE THE PROMPT REIMBURSEMENT OF TROOP CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES AND TO MAKE ASSESSMENT FEWER AND MORE PREDICTABLE. FINLAND CONCLUDED BY ASKING ALL MEMBER STATES TO "TAKE THEIR OBLIGATIONS TO THE SECRETARIAT AS SERIOUSLY AS THEY EXPECT THE SECRETARIAT TO TAKE THEIRS." THE EU NOTED THAT 70 MEMBER STATES WITH OUTSTANDING DUES OWED A TOTAL OF 661 MILLION, WITH OVER 95 PERCENT OWED BY FOUR COUNTRIES. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OUTSTANDING FOR PEACEKEEPING AT THE END OF OCTOBER HAD BEEN OVER 2.5 BILLION, WHICH HAD A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUCH OPERATIONS. THE ORGANIZATION'S DEBT TO CONTRIBUTORS OF TROOPS AND EQUIPMENT WERE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO MORE THAN 1 BILLION DOLLARS, DUE TO THE SAME DELAY IN THE RECEIPT OF ASSESSED CONTRIBUTIONS. ¶5. NEW ZEALAND (ON BEHALF OF CANZ) WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE MIXED FINANCIAL INDICATORS, THE UNCERTAIN POSITIONS OF THE REGULAR AND PEACEKEEPING BUDGETS, AND THE HIGH DEGREE OF RELIANCE ON A SMALL GROUP OF COUNTRIES TO MEET THEIR OBLIGATIONS OVER THE COMING WEEKS TO ENSURE THAT THE CASH FLOW OUTCOME FOR 2006 WAS MANAGEABLE. NEW ZEALAND NOTED THERE WERE SOME ENCOURAGING SIGNS IN THE PAST YEAR, INCLUDING A REDUCTION IN UNPAID ASSESSED CONTRIBUTIONS AND THE INCREASE IN CASH AVAILABLE FOR THE CAPITAL MASTER PLAN. HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF MEMBER STATES PAYING REGULAR BUDGET ASSESSMENTS IN FULL BY OCTOBER 31 HAD DROPPED FROM 130 A YEAR AGO TO 122 IN ¶2006. THE AMOUNT CONTRIBUTED BY SOME STATES DID NOT LESSEN THEIR OBLIGATION TO PAY ASSESSMENTS ON TIME, AS THE DELAY INJECTED SIGNIFICANT UNCERTAINTY AND RISK INTO THE UN'S FINANCIAL PLANNING. CANZ BELIEVED THE RETENTION OF FUNDS IN CLOSED MISSION ACCOUNTS PENALIZED MEMBER STATES THAT PAID ASSESSMENTS ON TIME, WHICH HELPED MANAGE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE THAT DID NOT. CANZ LOOKED FORWARD TO CONSIDERING REFORM OF PEACEKEEPING FINANCES NEXT YEAR, AND REMAINED HOPEFUL THAT THE UN COULD FIND A MORE SOUND FINANCIAL FOOTING. ¶6. THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION SAID THE INFORMATION PRESENTED BY THE CONTROLLER SHOWED THAT ALL BUDGETS OF THE UN HAD BEEN ENCOUNTERING CASH DEFICITS, PROVING THE UN'S FINANCIAL SITUATION HAD NOT BECOME MORE STABLE IN THE PAST YEAR. ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF MEMBER STATES THAT HAD PAID THEIR ASSESSMENTS IN FULL HAD GROWN A LITTLE, THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION NOTED WITH CONCERN THAT THE OVERALL AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL ASSESSMENTS OWED TO THE UN RELATED TO A SMALL GROUP OF MEMBER STATES. THE FAILURE OF THOSE COUNTRIES TO MEET THEIR FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS TOOK PLACE AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF INCREASED EXPENDITURES IN AREAS SUCH AS PEACEKEEPING, WHICH COULD HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY. STABLE FINANCING FORMED THE BASIS OF THE ORGANIZATION'S SUCCESS IN ALL SPHERES OF ITS ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING REFORM EFFORTS, HE SAID. DELAYS IN PAYMENTS COULD LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF THE UN'S INDEBTEDNESS TO TROOP AND EQUIPMENT CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES. NON-PAYMENT ALSO LED TO DELAYS IN REIMBURSEMENTS TO MEMBER STATES FROM CLOSED PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS. THE INFORMATION PRESENTED BY THE SECRETARIAT WOULD BE USEFUL TO MEMBER STATES FOR THE SIPDIS CONSIDERATION OF SUCH IMPORTANT ISSUES AS THE SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS FOR 2008-2009 AND FINANCING OF THE CAPITAL MASTER PLAN. ¶7. OFFERING ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON THE PAYMENT OF DUES, JAPAN STRESSED THAT IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO RELATIONS BETWEEN THE ORGANIZATION AND MEMBER STATES THAT THE UN DEMONSTRATE PROPER BUDGETARY DISCIPLINE AND INTEGRITY. TO MAINTAIN AND STRENGTHEN CONFIDENCE IN THE UN AT HOME, JAPAN SAID THE UN MUST PRODUCE TANGIBLE RESULTS IN THE AREAS OF MANAGEMENT REFORM AND MANDATE REVIEW. REGARDING PEACEKEEPING, THE JAPAN DELEGATE NOTED THAT THEIR BUDGETARY SYSTEM REQUIRES SEPARATE ASSESSMENTS AND A DETAILED EXPLANATION BASED ON THE MANDATE OF EACH MISSION. CHANGES IN THE PEACEKEEPING BUDGETARY SYSTEM THAT WOULD NOT CONTRIBUTE TO STRENGTHENING THE FINANCIAL BASE SHOULD NOT BE PURSUED, HE SAID. JAPAN BELIEVED THAT DEMONSTRATION OF BUDGETARY DISCIPLINE AND INTEGRITY WAS NECESSARY FOR POSITIVE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENTS OF MEMBER STATES AND THEIR TAXPAYERS, AND FOR THE CONTINUOUS PAYMENT OF ASSESSED CONTRIBUTIONS. TANGIBLE RESULTS IN THE AREAS OF MANAGEMENT REFORM AND MANDATE REVIEW WOULD MAKE THE ORGANIZATION MORE EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE AND TRANSPARENT, STRENGTHENING CONFIDENCE IN THE UN AT HOME, HE SAID. BOLTON