Global Policy Forum

Payments by United Nations Member States for peacekeeping missions were $1,188 million in arrears at the end of last month, but, nonetheless, $41 million of peacekeeping funds had had to be used to pay down the deficit for the UN's two war crimes tribunals, a senior UN manager said today.

Peacekeeping operations had had healthy cash flow balances every month of the year, which was important since the funds supported not only peacekeeping missions, but the tribunals for both the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Under-Secretary-General for Management Catherine Bertini told a news conference at UN Headquarters in New York.

The peacekeeping arrears in 2003 were well below the $1,652 million total in October 2002.

At the end of October 2003, 105 Member States had made no payments towards their 2003 war crimes tribunal assessments, 18 countries had made partial payments and only 63 had paid in full, she said.

Major contributors to the regular budget owed $360 million at the end of October and the next 63 contributors owed $106 million, totalling $466 million. One hundred and twenty-seven small contributors had paid in full, she said, compared with last year, when only 117 countries had paid their dues in full by the end of the year.

If the countries that owed regular dues did not pay up by the end of the year, the UN would end the year with a deficit of $12 million, Ms. Bertini said.

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