United Nations System Funding

The congressional debate over United Nations funding focuses on several questions, including the following: (1) What is the appropriate level of U.S. funding for U.N. system operations and programs?, and (2) What U.S. funding actions are most likely to produce a positive continuation of U.N. system reform efforts? The U.N. system includes the United Nations, a number of specialized or affiliated agencies, voluntary and special funds and programs, and U.N. peacekeeping operations. Participating states finance the system with assessed contributions to the budgets of the United Nations and its specialized agencies. In addition, voluntary contributions are made both to those agencies and to the special programs and funds they set up and manage. For more than 60 years, the United States has been the single largest financial contributor to the U.N. system, supplying in recent years 22% of most U.N. agency budgets. Both Congress and the executive branch have sought to promote their policy goals and reform of the United Nations and its system of organizations and programs, especially to improve management and budgeting practices. In the 1990s, Congress linked payment of U.S. financial contributions and its arrears to reform. This report, which will be updated, tracks the process by which Congress provides the funding for U.S. assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the United Nations, its agencies, and U.N. peacekeeping operation accounts, as well for U.S. voluntary contributions to U.N. system programs and funds. It includes information on the President's request and the congressional response, as well as congressional initiatives during this legislative process. Basic information is provided to help the reader understand this process. This report replaces CRS Issue Brief IB86116, "United Nations System Funding: Congressional Issues," by Marjorie Ann Browne and Vita Bite.

Since its foundation, the United Nations is confronted with heavy financial problems. The payment morale of fulfilling the membership dues is extremely low. The author offers an overview of the methods and scope used to finance the activities of the UN. The main focus is on the mandatory funding of the UN Organization and of its peace-keeping activities. Furthermore, the quantity and the quality of voluntary contributions to seven UN Special Funds and Programmes are analysed. It shows that the unbalanced move towards earmarked contributions for specified programmes, projects or countries change the working character of the UN. In addition, innovative financing sources presented by the UN Secretary- Generals and by experts are presented and discussed. An overview about the financing of UN Specialized Agencies and a finance tableau about the whole UN system are given in an appendix. Also, the book includes a glossary which contains technical and institutional terms.

On the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, the world has faced its biggest shared test since the Second World War in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Yet while our welfare, and indeed the permanence of human life, depend on us working together, international cooperation has never been harder to achieve. This report answers a call from UN Member States to provide recommendations to advance our common agenda and to respond to current and future challenges. Its proposals are grounded in a renewal of the social contract, adapted to the challenges of this century, taking into account younger and future generations, complemented by a new global deal to better protect the global commons and deliver global public goods. Through a deepening of solidarity—at the national level, between generations, and in the multilateral system—Our Common Agenda provides a path forward to a greener, safer and better future.

The congressional debate over United Nations funding focuses on several questions, including (1) What is the appropriate level of U.S. funding for U.N. system operations and programs? (2) What U.S. funding actions are most likely to produce a positive continuation of U.N. system reform efforts? This report tracks the process by which Congress provides the funding for U.S. assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the United Nations, its agencies, and U.N. peacekeeping operation accounts, as well as for U.S. voluntary contributions to U.N. system programs and funds. It includes information on the President's request and the congressional response, as well as congressional initiatives during this legislative process. Basic information is provided to help the reader understand this process.

This book presents an overview of the key debates that took place during the Economic and Social Council meetings at the 2007 High-level Segment, at which ECOSOC organized its first biennial Development Cooperation Forum. The discussions also revolved around the theme of the second Annual Ministerial Review, "Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to sustainable development."--P. 4 of cover.

The debate over U.N. funding focuses on several questions, including: (1) What is the appropriate level of U.S. funding for U.N. system operations and programs? (2) What U.S. funding actions are most likely to produce a positive continuation of U.N. system reform efforts? For more than 60 years, the U.S. has been the single largest financial contributor to the U.N. system, supplying in recent years 22% of most U.N. agency budgets. This report tracks the process by which Congress provides the funding for U.S. assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the U.N, its agencies, and U.N. peacekeeping operations, as well for U.S. voluntary contributions to U.N. system programs and funds. Basic info. is provided to help the reader understand this process. Illus.