From: "Jim Flom"

No! ;-) Although, if we're going to invoke multinational cooperative
efforts like NATO, how much less has the US supported the UN in meeting its
own commitments?

Where's Canada on this list? Pretty damn sad.

http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/e...nte_nationen/f
inanzen_html#1

The finances of the United Nations


Last updated on 9 August 2001

UN funding
Results of the negotiations on new scales of assessment
UN scale of assessments (regular budget) in 2001

UN funding
United Nations funding comes from three different sources:

assessed contributions to the regular budget,
assessed contributions for peacekeeping operations,
voluntary contributions for specialized agencies and subsidiary organizations.
The scale of assessments for contributions to the regular budget is determined
every 3 years on the basis of GNP and ranges from a maximum of 22% of the
budget (USA) to a minimum of 0.001% (developing countries). Apart from these
contributions, the regular budget is funded from revenues from the sale of
items such as UN souvenirs, special stamps, books and brochures.

On top of their contributions to the regular budget member countries contribute
to the peacekeeping operations budget and the cost of international courts and
tribunals. The level of these contributions is based initially on their
assessed contributions to the regular budget and is thus linked to each
country's financial capacity. However, the actual level of assessed
contributions to the peacekeeping operations budget also takes into account the
political responsibility of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Since peace missions vary in number and duration, contributions to the
peacekeeping budget also fluctuate more widely from year to year than
contributions to the regular budget.

Member countries also contribute on an entirely voluntary basis to the projects
and activities of the UN's specialized agencies and other subsidiary
organizations. The administrative costs of such bodies are met from the regular
budget.

For years the UN system has been in financial crisis, caused mainly by the
failure of certain member countries to pay their dues.

Results of the negotiations on new scales of assessment
After more than twelve months and a highly dramatic final phase, the
negotiations on new scales of assessment for contributions to the regular
budget as well as to the peacekeeping operations budget were concluded on 23
December 2000 in New York with an outcome favourable to Germany.

According to the scales of assessment for the next three years the German
share, which amounted to 9.857% in 2000, will be 9.493% (this year), 9.845%
(2002) and 9.769% (2003) of contributions to both budgets.

The EU had for some time been working towards a reform of the UN scales of
assessment in order to share the costs more equitably. In 2000 regular
negotiations on new scales of assessment were made more difficult and
complicated by the US demand to reduce its share unilaterally due to new US
budgetary legislation (the Helms-Biden Amendment). In return, the US announced
its intention to pay outstanding contributions from former years. In concrete
terms the Americans demanded a reduction of their share from 25% to 22% and a
maximum contribution of 25% to the peacekeeping operations budget (formerly
31%). Now that the US has achieved its aims there is hope that it will carry
out its promise to pay its arrears within a reasonable period of time.

Considering the substantial financial contributions Germany has made - as the
third largest contributor we paid a total of more than DM 691 million in 2000
for the regular and peacekeeping operations budgets - the German negotiating
aim was to avoid any further financial burden. Owing to the generally firm
joint position presented by the EU and the skilful negotiating of the French
Presidency we were able to achieve this aim. The additional burden placed on
the EU member states was relatively small (0.3%).

The share of contributions to the regular budget borne by the second largest
contributor, Japan, was reduced from 20.5% to 19.5% (2003).

These reductions and the avoidance of additional burdens were made possible by
the more prosperous states of the G77 who agreed to assume greater shares.
South Korea, Brazil, Chile, Thailand, Iran and others will in the future
contribute more to the UN budgets, as will countries like Poland and the Czech
Republic. Russia will voluntarily pay an increased share of 1.2%.

In concrete terms the criteria for determining contributions to the UN budgets
are now the following:

contribute is now 22% (the deficiency resulting from reduced US contributions
is cushioned by the Turner the maximum percentage that any one state must
Foundation in 2001, so that the other member states are only affected as from
2002);
base periods for determining each state's GNP are now between three and six
years (4.5 years);
gradient for countries with low per-capita income: 89%;
debt stock of developing countries is taken into account;
minimum assessment: 0.001%;
maximum assessment for LDC: 0.01%;
transitional assistance for the 15 countries whose share is increasing by more
than 58%.
Contributions to the regular budget form the basis for determining the
contributions to the peacekeeping operations budget. Now there are 10 groups of
countries compared to the former four. Groups C to J receive discounts ranging
from 7.5% to 90% which are borne by group A (permanent members). As before,
Germany, as a member of group B, contributes the same percentage to the
peacekeeping operations as to the regular budget.

The consequences of these decisions for the German regular budget will depend
on several parameters. This year Germany's contribution to the regular budget
will definitely only amount to $ 98 million instead of $ 103.9 million. A
possible further reduction may result from the weakening dollar, in view of the
fact that the budget was drawn up when the dollar was still valued at DM 2.26.
Germany's actual contributions for 2002 and 2003 have not yet been calculated:
the next biannual UN budget will be negotiated later this year.

UN scale of assessments (regular budget) in 2001

USA 22 %
Japan 19.628 %
Germany 9.493 %
France 6.283 %
United Kingdom 5.380 %
Italy 4.922 %
Canada 2.573 %
Spain 2.448 %
Brazil 1.702 %
Netherlands 1.688 %
Australia 1.604 %
Korea, Republic of 1.318 %
Russia 1.200 %
Belgium 1.098 %
Sweden 0.998 %