UNITED NATIONS REFORM (FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS)

Commitment: Chairman's Statement - Global Issues, Paragraph 1
“Conscious of the risks that the present financial crisis poses to the United Nations' ability to function, we are resolved to promote in parallel and as soon as possible a long-term solution based on the adoption of a more equitable scale of contributions, on scrupulous respect by Member States for their financial obligations, and on the payment of arrears.”

Grade: +1

Canada is contributing actively to the work of the Carlsson Group of 16 countries drawn from around the world, which is dedicated to strengthening compliance with obligations the UN Charter and to accelerating the pace of multilateral renewal.

First priority is the ongoing financial crisis of the UN. There has been some encouraging progress in the establishment and early results of the Efficiency Board, and in a second year of zero overall budget growth. Furthermore, there is a growing awareness of the need for financial and administrative restructuring. In Lloyd Axworthy's notes for an address to the 51st General Assembly to the UN (Sept. 24, 1996), Axworthy called again for all members to pay dues unconditionally in full and on time. He went further to ask why it is that over half of members are failing to meet this standard and why some are failing entirely to pay.

Axworthy also called for countries to join Canada in demonstrating political will, both in paying dues and in moving forward the difficult task of reviewing the scale of assessments to better reflect capacity to pay.