§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the United Nations regular budget in 1996 was financed by borrowing from the peacekeeping budget; and what assessment he has made of the impact of this on peacekeeping operations. [11344]
§ Sir Nicholas BonsorThe UN regular budget at the end of 1996 was most recently forecast to have been in deficit by $195 million—down from $198 million at the end of 1995. This end of year balance of funds was cross-borrowed from the peacekeeping budget.
The borrowing of funds from peacekeeping budgets to meet cash shortfalls on the UN regular budget is a short-term measure and is within UN financial regulations. It has no appreciable impact in the day-to-day work of UN peacekeeping operations. We do not, however, believe that this is good accounting practice.
§ Mr. LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much outstanding debt is owed to the United Nations(a) in total and (b) by the United States; how much of this is owed to the peacekeeping budget; and if he will make a statement about the financial situation of the United Nations. [11345]
§ Sir Nicholas BonsorAt 15 December 1996, outstanding assessed contributions to the UN totalled $2.26 billion. Of this, $1.71 billion was for peacekeeping operations. The total US debt was $1.3 billion, including $926 million for peacekeeping operations.
We firmly believe that all UN member states including the US, must pay their dues promptly, in full and without conditions, in accordance with their legal obligation. The EU proposals for UN financial reform include penalties for late or non-payers.