Table of Contents
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
- Stalled escalators, the heating turned down, even the diplomats’ bar closing early at 5pm: already the UN budget crunch, one of the worst in a decade, is making itself felt in a series of measures announced by United Nations
THE UN IS FUNDED PRIMARILY BY MEMBER COUNTRIES
- The United Nations has 193 member states, all of which pay yearly into the organization. Those payments are called contributions, and are divided into two types: assessed and voluntary.
- Assessed contributions are mandatory.
THE UNITED STATES IS BY FAR THE LARGEST FUNDER
- In 2017, the United States contributed more than $10 billion to the United Nations, which is roughly one-fifth of the organization’s entire budget. This means the US is responsible for a significant portion of many UN agencies’ funds. Hence, when the country threatens to pull financing for an agency, the UN listens.
MANDATORY PAYMENTS ARE DETERMINED WITH A CONTROVERSIAL EQUATION
INDIA’S ROLE
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