The United States has specified a set of conditions before it will release billions of dollars it currently owes the United Nations, according to a report by Devex, an independent outlet that covers global development. The report says two diplomatic notes circulated by the U.S. asked for nine so-called "quick-hit" reforms as prerequisites for moving additional funds.
Among the measures listed in the documents, Devex reported, are proposals to overhaul the U.N. pension system, end long-distance business-class travel for some senior and all mid-level professionals, and implement additional cuts to the U.N.'s senior ranks. The notes also call for a "10% reduction in long-standing, ineffective peacekeeping missions."
In a provision aimed directly at limiting Beijing's financial footprint at the world body, the notes would block China from directing tens of millions of dollars each year into a discretionary fund held in the office of the U.N. secretary-general. Devex characterized that step as part of efforts to counter Chinese influence at the United Nations.
"These reforms will be an indication that the UN is serious about reform," one of the documents quoted by Devex said.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The report comes amid a broader U.S. push for institutional changes at the U.N. — Washington has said it will continue to press for reforms after announcing withdrawals from dozens of U.N. bodies this year and after cutting millions of dollars in funding last year.
China's U.N. mission also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At a regular briefing, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stressed that assessed contributions by the United States and every other member state constitute "a treaty obligation." He said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was already "leading a pretty heavy reform" within the organization. "It involves decisions that member states must take if we want to have a U.N. that is more effective, that uses its resources in the best way possible," Dujarric said. "The secretary-general is doing everything he can in that direction."
Guterres warned in January that the U.N. faced "imminent financial collapse" as a result of unpaid fees, the majority of which are owed by the United States. The U.N. reported in February that the United States had paid roughly $160 million of the more than $4 billion it owes.
As of the start of February, the U.S. owed $2.19 billion to the regular U.N. budget, a figure that amounted to more than 95% of the total then owed by member countries globally. In addition, the United States owed about $2.4 billion for current and past peacekeeping missions and $43.6 million for U.N. tribunals.
Implications
The Devex report lays out a U.S. approach that ties financial cooperation to concrete governance changes at the U.N., and that explicitly seeks to reduce a channel of Chinese funding to the secretary-general's discretionary fund. The proposals focus on quick, administrable cuts and managerial changes intended to demonstrate progress on reform.
How the United Nations and member states respond to the diplomatic notes will determine whether withheld U.S. funds are released and whether the outlined reforms are adopted or negotiated further. The U.N. leadership has emphasized ongoing reform efforts and noted that member states must take decisions to effectuate change.