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February 9, 2017
United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding of U.N. Peacekeeping
Operations
The United States is the single largest financial contributor
with the five permanent Security Council members assessed
to U.N. peacekeeping activities, contributing 28.47% of
at a higher level than for the regular budget. The United
total funding (about $2.8 billion in FY2016). Congress
States is assessed at 22% of the U.N. regular budget;
authorizes and appropriates U.S. contributions, and has
however, its current peacekeeping assessment is 28.47%.
demonstrated an ongoing interest in ensuring such funding
Other top contributors include China, Japan, Germany, and
is used as efficiently and effectively as possible. The United
France (see Table 1).
States, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security
Council, plays a key role in the establishment, renewal, and
U.S. Contributions
funding of U.N. peacekeeping missions.
U.S. Assessment Level and “Cap.” U.S. policymakers
have long debated the U.S. assessment level for U.N.
U.N. Peacekeeping Funding
peacekeeping operations. In the early 1990s, the U.S. rate
Operations and budget. The United Nations currently
of assessment was over 30%—a level that many
operates 16 U.N. peacekeeping missions worldwide, with
policymakers found to be too high. Accordingly, in 1995
about 120,000 military, police, and civilian personnel from
Congress set a limit, or “cap,” of 25% for the payment of
more than 120 contributing countries. The Security Council
U.S. assessed contributions to U.N. peacekeeping
adopts a resolution to establish each operation and specifies
operations. The 25% cap remains U.S. law; from calendar
how it will be funded. In most cases, the Council authorizes
years 2001 to 2012, Congress included provisions in annual
the U.N. General Assembly to create a separate assessed
State/Foreign Operations appropriations at the full U.N.
account for each operation to be supported by member
peacekeeping assessment rate for each of those years. Since
states contributions.
FY2012, Congress authorized payment with appropriated
funds at the calendar year 2012 U.N. assessment rate
Table 1. Top Financial Contributors to U.N.
(27.14%), even though the assessed rate increased in
Peacekeeping, 2017
calendar years 2013 through 2016.
Country
Percent Country
Percent
Opponents of the cap contend that the United States is
1. United States
28.4
7
6.
United Kingdom 5.77
obligated under the U.N. Charter to pay its dues, and that
2. China
10.25
7. Russia
3.99
failing to do so could impact the effectiveness of U.N.
peacekeeping operations and possibly limit the United
3. Japan
9.68
8. Italy
3.75
States’ influence within the U.N. system. On the other
4. Germany
6.39
9. Canada
2.92
hand, supporters maintain that other nations can and should
5. France
6.28
10. Spain
2.44
pay more for U.N. peacekeeping operations and the cap
might play a role in preventing the General Assembly from
Source: U.N. document, A/70/331/Add.1, December 28, 2015.
significantly increasing U.N. peacekeeping budgets.
Note: Italics represent permanent Security Council members.
U.N. members voluntarily provide the military and police
Key accounts and recent funding levels. U.S. assessed
personnel for each mission. Peacekeepers are paid by their
contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations are provided
own governments, which are reimbursed by the United
through three accounts funded in annual State
Nations at a standard rate determined by the Assembly
Department/Foreign Operations appropriations acts.
(about $1,332 per soldier per month).The U.N.
peacekeeping financial year runs from July 1 to June 30; the
The Contributions for International Peacekeeping
Assembly usually adopts resolutions to finance
Activities (CIPA) account is the primary funding
peacekeeping missions in late June. The total accumulated
mechanism for U.N. peacekeeping assessed expenses,
approved budget for U.N. peacekeeping operations for
currently providing contributions to 14 peacekeeping
2016-2017 is about $7.87 billion. Operations with the
operations and two international criminal tribunals.
highest annual budgets are MONUSCO (Democratic
Republic of the Congo) at $1.23 billion, UNAMID (Darfur,
The Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) account, which
Sudan) at $1.04 billion, and UNMISS (South Sudan) at
funds most non-U.N. multilateral peacekeeping and
regional stability operations, provides authority and
$1.08 billion.
funds to pay the assessed expenses for the U.N. Support
Scale of assessments. The General Assembly adopts the
Office in Somalia (UNSOS).
scale of assessments for U.N. member contributions to
peacekeeping operations every three years. The scale is
The Contributions to International Organizations (CIO)
based on a modification of the U.N. regular budget scale,
account funds two observer missions, UNTSO (Israel
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link to page 2 United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding of U.N. Peacekeeping Operations
and the Palestinians) and UNMOGIP (India and
changing nature of U.N. peacekeeping. The concept of
Pakistan), that are paid through the U.N. regular budget.
peacekeeping has evolved since the first mission was
established in 1948. “Traditional” peacekeeping involves
In FY2016, total U.S. funding through CIPA and PKO was
implementing cease-fire or peace agreements; however, in
approximately $2.8 billion, compared with $2.27 billion in
recent years, the Security Council has increasingly
FY2015. These amounts do not include the application of
authorized operations in complex and insecure
U.N. peacekeeping credits (see text box.)
environments where there is little peace to keep and no
clear resolution or outcome. Peacekeepers may be required
Table 2. U.S. Contributions: CIPA and PKO accounts
to protect civilians, disarm violent groups, monitor human
$ thousands of U.S. dollars
rights violations, or assist in delivering humanitarian aid.
FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
Such activities can place additional financial demands on
U.N. members. Some experts argue that current
actual
actual
request
peacekeeping funding levels cannot effectively support the
CIPA
2,118,791
2,657,295
2,394,930
increasingly broad mandates authorized by the Council.
of which OCO
0
1,456,664
1,588,000
PKO/OCO (UNSOS)
The United States and peacekeeping arrears. In the mid-
156,514
135,000
a
1990s, the United States accumulated significant arrears to
TOTAL
2,275,305
2,792,295
2,394,930
U.N. peacekeeping operations accounts and the U.N.
Source: Department of State, January 2017.
regular budget. Many U.S. policymakers became concerned
a. The Administration generally requests funds for UNSOS
that the United States could lose its vote in the Assembly
through the CIPA account; however, Congress usually
unless it made substantial payments on its outstanding dues.
authorizes and appropriations such funds through the PKO
In 1999, Congress and the Administration negotiated what
account.
is known as the “Helms-Biden Agreement,” which
established conditions under which some U.S. arrears,
CIPA requests and actual funding levels fluctuate from year
including those related to U.N. peacekeeping, were paid.
to year depending on a number of factors, including
Since the enactment of Helms-Biden, some U.S. arrears
discrepancies between the aforementioned U.N.
remain. The State Department reports that as of January
peacekeeping assessment and the enacted U.S. cap, changes
2017, U.S. arrears for both open (ongoing) and closed
to the peacekeeping scale of assessments, timing of U.N.
(ended) peacekeeping operations total about $342 million.
billing processes, application of peacekeeping credits, and
Most of these result from the gap between the 25% U.S. cap
changes in individual peacekeeping operations.
and the U.N. assessment between October 1, 1995, and
September 30, 2001. Others amounts are the result of
Role of U.N. Peacekeeping Credits in U.S. Funding
congressional policy holds. (The Obama Administration did
Assessments for U.N. peacekeeping missions are based on the
not seek funding to pay the prior year arrears.) Some U.S.
projected budget for each mission, with “credits” made available
policymakers disagree about the status of these arrears and
to member states for any amounts remaining after the United
argue that they should be addressed, while others do not
Nations reconciles budgets at the end of each June, and after
recognize them as U.S. arrears and claim the United States
addressing any outstanding unpaid member state balances. For
is under no obligation to pay them.
the past several U.S. fiscal years, the United Nations has applied
peacekeeping credits to the United States’ assessed peacekeeping
Sexual exploitation and abuse. Congress has sought to
contributions, which are funded primarily through the CIPA
link U.S. peacekeeping funding to sexual exploitation and
account. In part because of the application of these credits, the
abuse by U.N. peacekeepers and other personnel. The
United States has been able to fully fund its U.N. peacekeeping
FY2016 State/Foreign Operations appropriations bill (P.L.
obligations and cover the gap between the U.N. assessments
114-113) required that no funds appropriated may be
(28.47%) and enacted U.S. cap (27.14%). For calendar year 2016,
obligated unless the Secretary of State certifies that the
the State Department reports that approximately $2.6 million
United Nations is implementing effective policies and
remains unpaid due to the enacted cap; this amount became U.S.
procedures to prevent U.N. employees and peacekeeping
arrears on January 1, 2017.
troops from human trafficking, sexual exploitation of
trafficking victims, or other violations of human rights.
(Former Secretary of State Kerry provided the certification
Since FY2012, many accounts, including CIPA and PKO,
and no funds were withheld.) The Department of State
have been supplemented by Overseas Contingency
Authorities Act, FY2017 (P.L. 114-323), also requires the
Operations (OCO)-designated funding, which has been
State Department to report to Congress on U.N. efforts to
used by Congress in international affairs appropriations to
hold perpetrators accountable for sexual abuse prior to a
identify extraordinary and temporary costs that should not
vote renewing or establishing a peacekeeping mission.
be considered part of an agency’s base budget and do not
More broadly, some Members have proposed withholding
count toward annual budget caps. About 57% ($1.6 billion)
bilateral assistance from countries that fail to hold their
of total FY2016 peacekeeping funding ($2.8 billion) is
peacekeepers accountable for sexual exploitation and abuse.
OCO-designated funding.
Selected Issues
Luisa Blanchfield, Specialist in International Relations
Funding and growth of peacekeeping operations. A key
IF10597
area of focus in many discussions about the level and extent
of U.S. peacekeeping funding is the broader issue of the
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United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding of U.N. Peacekeeping Operations
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