Only 22 countries pay UN dues in full

UN: Only 22 countries have paid their UN dues in full, and the United States, the top contributor to the UN budget, has yet to pay all its dues, a top UN official said here Wednesday.

The nations, which account for 11.4 percent of all UN member states, have paid all their dues for the UN's 2008-2009 regular budget, peacekeeping, international tribunals and renovations of the UN Headquarters in New York, UN Undersecretary- General for management Angela Kane, told a press conference here.

"The financial health of the organization depends on member states including the major contributors meeting their financial obligations in full and on time," Kane said.

The paid-in-full members include Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Congo, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, Niger, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Tajikistan.

UN member states still owe a total of 3.1 billion US dollars for the 2008-2009 period - 2.1 billion dollars for peacekeeping, 828 million dollars for the core budget, 63 million for the international tribunals and 86 million for the renovation of the UN Headquarters in New York, she said. Thursday, Xinhua