Statement from the Better World Campaign on U.S. Dues to the UN
Better World Campaign President Peter Yeo issued the following statement today regarding new U.S. assessment rates negotiated at the United Nations:
"The 193 Members States of the United Nations completed their negotiations on the "scales of assessment" that determines how much each country contributes financially to the United Nations – both to the UN's regular budget and to the UN's peacekeeping budget.
"The U.S. will now pay 27.8% of all UN peacekeeping costs instead of the current 28.4% rate. The U.S. was also able to maintain its ceiling of 22% on the regular budget, meaning the U.S. remains the only developed country in the world that has a cap on its payments to the UN regular budget.
"Given the more than $500 million in U.S. financial arrears for peacekeeping that have accumulated during the past two years, it is imperative that Congress appropriate sufficient funds to cover American dues to the UN in line with the new assessment rate as well as U.S. back dues.
"U.S. law limits the U.S. share to UN peacekeeping to 25%. However, in the two decades since this law was enacted, Congress has acted in a bipartisan fashion to lift this statutory cap to pay the required U.S. assessment 80% of the time. It should lift the cap once again.
"If Congress does not act to fully pay the U.S. assessment, a number of countries that contribute troops to UN peacekeeping will either not be paid or see their contributions slashed, the ability of the UN to service existing peacekeeping missions will be compromised, and the lives of civilians will be threatened."
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