Members of the United Nations are not paying their dues and as a result, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to his staff warning that a “troubling financial situation facing the United Nations.”
“Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning; we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer,” he says.
‘Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year.’
Guterres went on to say that the organization will be taking measures to look at reducing costs, in a way that won’t affect their mission. He said he also will be proposing to states various steps to strengthen financial stability at the U.N.
Trump administration threats to cut funding do not appear to be directly linked to the cash crunch.
While the administration has been eyeing carefully its payments to various U.N. funds and agencies, the U.S. has not yet reduced or delayed its payments to the budget, though due to the fall start of the U.S. fiscal year, payments usually come later in the year.
Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday that the issue is “late payments and payments not yet received to the regular budget.”
“Late payment has an impact obviously on our cash flow. It may have an impact on our ability to deliver mandates,” he said.
However, Hugh Dugan, a former U.S. diplomat at the U.N., said that other countries could be mimicking what is perceived as the U.S. backing away from its commitments at the body of diplomacy and international relations.
“A look at the record shows that Trump has continued to fund it at historic levels, chose it to sanction North Korea, and uses it as a platform to defend Israel. However, there is a wide misperception fed by Trump detractors and a combative media that his Administration has walked away from the U.N.,” Dugan, who is also a professor at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations, said.
Last June, Guterres warned the Trump administration that if the United States disengages from many issues confronting the international community it will be replaced. Replace? With whom? This is quite laughable for a couple reasons. First, the U.S. basically foots the entire bill for the UN. Out of the 193 nations that contribute to the UN budget, the United States contribution is greater than the sum total of 85 nations combined! Second, if other countries are not paying their fees due to the Trump administration decreasing the U.S. contribution, what would the reaction be if the U.S. were to completely withdraw? The U.N. would surely be no more. Guterres, instead of talking tough, you ought to pucker up and try to get on Trump’s good side.
Source: Fox News
