By: Azhar Azam
By dint of a negative vote or veto by one of the five permanent members – United States – the UN Security Council could not adopt the December 18 draft resolution which was supported by four other permanent members – China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom – and fourteen non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federation States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Togo and United States were the nine countries who opposed the resolution. Two of the major American allies – France and the United Kingdom – as well as the newest strategic US partner – India – also voted in favor of the resolution.
The crux of the session was the moment when the world witnessed a rare glimpse of all Muslim countries unanimously endorsing the resolution. Arch rivals from Iran to Saudi Arabia to strategic adversaries like Pakistan and Afghanistan – almost all the Muslim majority countries hailed the common cause by supporting or at least abstaining.
Fumed United States immediately navigated a cut of over $285 million to the United Nations’ biennium budget of $5.4 billion for 2018-2019, US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley said in a statement. The mission also announced unspecified reduction in UN’s management and support functions.
Translating the rage, the US mission in the UN Haley touted ‘inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations’ for the funds prevention and vowed it a big step ‘toward a more efficient and accountable UN’.
Under the UN charter, the United States contributed 22% of the total UN regular budget in 2017 that amounts to about $611 million. It is also the largest contributor – 28.5% – to the UN peacekeeping operations budget that totals $7.3 billion.
Japan (10%), China (8%), Germany (6%), and France (5%) were the other largest contributors to the UN regular budget in 2017.
But historically the UN budget tends to reduce every year. For example the budget for biennium 2016-17 was roughly $400 million or 2.9% lower than the final appropriations for 2014-2015. Similarly the two-year budget for 2017-2018 also sets budget level $286 million or 5% less below the final approved level of 2015-2016.
Furthermore,in her tweet on June 29 this year, Haley announced half a billion ($600 million) cut to UN peacekeeping budget. Before assuming the president office White House, Trump also professed UN ‘just a club for people to get together, talk, and have a good time’.
So the reduction in financial contribution to UN budget is not attributable to US decision over UN resolution on Jerusalem – as framed to be – but conforms to one of the Trump’s election campaign promises, though the US reaction at this instant is apparently an effort to synthetically fabricate the reduction with the Jerusalem resolution.
UN is funded by the member countries and the contribution of each country is determined on the basis of certain assessment – GNP, per capita income, and external debt. The United States is obliged to pay more due to its higher economic resources and the cut to UN budget is yet another paragon of US violating UN rules.
Moreover, by providing increased (but due) financial contribution to the UN budget, the United States hardly makes any contribution to the UN peacekeeping troops. US troop contribution to the UN in only 56, according to ranking provided by the international body as of November 30.
Ethiopia (8,387), Bangladesh (7,240), India (6,700), Rwanda (6,490), Pakistan (6,256), and Nepal (5,353) are the largest troop contributing countries for UN peacemaking missions. Incidentally, four of the six top contributors – Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal –are from South East Asia.