Mr. Biggs-Davisonisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what opportunity given to the representatives of member states to scrutinise the expenditure and budgeting of the United Nations and its specialised agencies; whether he will make a statement on the cost to the United Kingdom and if he will take steps to reduce it.
§ Mr. LuardIn accordance with Article 17 of the Charter, the General Assembly considers and approves the budget of the United Nations. The budget and accounts are prepared by the Secretary General and submitted annually to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, through the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions—a body of experts not representing their governments, but appointed on the basis of broad geographical representation, personal qualifications and experience—which examines and reports on them in detail. The administrative budgets of the Specialised Agencies are also submitted, through the Advisory Committee, for a more general examination by the General Assembly.
189WThe Specialised Agencies have budget periods varying from one to four years, and varying procedures for the preparation and scrutiny of their budgets and accounts. The general pattern is for the budget to be approved by member governments in the legislative body of the Agency, after prior consideration of it by the governing body (composed of representatives of member States elected by the legislative body).
The cost to the United Kingdom of its assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the United Nations, the Specialised Agencies, and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the calendar year 1969 (excluding United Kingdom contributions to funds financed by voluntary contributions, such as the United Nations Development Programme) is as follows:
£ Sterling United Nationals regular budget 3,539,032(a) International Labour Organisation (ILO) 1,013,500 Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 1,056,813 United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) 917,472 International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) 228,349 World Health Organisation (WHO) 1.558,262 Universal Postal Union (UPU) 19,204(b) International Telecommunications Union (ITU) 135,203 World Meteorological Organisation(WMO) 73,645 Intergovernmental Marine Consultative Organisation (IMCO) 79,400(c) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 273,094(d) 8,893,974
- (a)Including contribution to supplementary budget for 1969 (£75,350).
- (b)Estimated only.
- (c)Including £30,800 as the additional contribution which the United Kingdom makes as the host state.
- (d)The net disbursement will be £264,327 after allowing for a credit of £8,767.
Her Majesty's Government have made clear in the international bodies concerned, their anxiety over the high rates of increase in the United Nations budget and in those of the major Specialised Agencies, and also their anxiety that the funds voted should be used with the maximum efficiency; and they have acted and voted accordingly. But Her Majesty's Government's power to reduce 190W the cost to the United Kingdom is limited by the fact that, once the budgets have been approved, there is an obligation on the Members to contribute the share apportioned to them according to the approved scale of assessments.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the current British contributions to the regular budget and all specialised agencies of the United Nations, including peacekeeping activities, and the corresponding figures for the previous four accounting periods.
§ Mr. LuardDetails of United Kingdom contributions to United Nations and Specialised Agency budgets and other funds for the years 1955 to 1968 were given in answers to Questions by the right hon. Member for Devon, North (Mr. Thorpe) on the 25th of January, 1966 (Column 40, Volume 723); the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Longden) on 17th January, 1967 (Column 17–18, Volume 739), and the hon. Member for Portsmouth, West (Mr. Judd) on 23rd January, 1967 (Column 187, Volume 739); the hon. Member for Moray and Nairn (Mr. Gordon Campbell) on 6th February, 1968 (Column 95–96, Volume 758); and the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West on 16th May. 1969 (Column 284–6, Volume 783).
Comparable figures of actual United Kingdom contributions for 1969 cannot yet he given, but detail; of the assessed contributions of the United Kingdom in respect of this year are being given in answer to today's Question by the hon. Member for Chigwell (Mr. Biggs-Davison).
The exact cost to the I,Jnited Kingdom in 1969 of the United Nations Force in Cyprus—the only peacekeeping operation not financed from the regular budget—cannot yet be given. But the United Kingdom has pledged £1,250,000 to the Voluntary Fund for the period the 16th of December, 1968, to the 15th of December, 1969. The extra cost of the United Kingdom contingent (paid in addition to our contribution to the 'Voluntary Fund) was £628,575 in the financial year ending in March 1969.—[Vol. 723, c. 40; Vol. 739, c. 17–18, 187; Vol. 758, c. 956; Vol. 783, c. 284–6.]
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