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Updated May 22, 2018
United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
The United States is the single largest financial contributor
military, police, and civilian personnel. U.N. Security
to the United Nations (U.N.) system. Congress has long
Council resolutions establishing new operations specify
debated (1) the appropriate level of U.S. contributions to
how each mission will be funded. In most cases, the
U.N. system activities; (2) whether U.S. funds are being
Council authorizes the General Assembly to create a
used efficiently and effectively; and (3) how changes in
separate special account for each operation funded by
U.S. funding might bring about reform. The Trump
assessed contributions. The approved budget for
Administration’s FY2019 budget proposed significant cuts
peacekeeping operations during the 2017-2018
to U.N. funding from the enacted FY2018 levels, including
peacekeeping fiscal year is $6.8 billion. The General
a 13% reduction in assessed contributions to U.N.
Assembly negotiates and adopts the scale of assessments
peacekeeping, a 25% decrease in contributions to the U.N.
for U.N. member state contributions to peacekeeping
regular budget and specialized agencies, and eliminating
operations every three years. The scale is based on a
voluntary contributions to some U.N. funds and programs.
modification of the regular budget scale, with the five
permanent Security Council members assessed at a higher
Financing the U.N. System
level than they are for the regular budget. The United States
The U.N. system is made up of interconnected entities
peacekeeping assessment is 28.43% in 2018.
including specialized agencies, funds and programs,
peacekeeping operations, and the U.N. organization itself.
U.N. Specialized Agencies. U.N. specialized agencies are
The U.N. Charter, ratified by the United States in 1945,
autonomous in executive, legislative, and budgetary
requires each member state to contribute to the expenses of
powers. Some agencies follow the scale of assessment for
the organization. The system is financed by assessed and
the U.N. regular budget, while others use their own
voluntary contributions from U.N. members. Assessed
formulas to determine assessments. For example, the
contributions are required dues, the payment of which is a
International Labor Organization and World Health
legal obligation accepted by a country when it becomes a
Organization each assess the United States for 22% of their
member. Such funding provides U.N. entities with a regular
budgets, while the U.S. assessment for the International
source of income to pay for staff and implement authorized
Maritime Organization is 2.6%.
programs. The U.N. regular budget, peacekeeping
operations, and specialized agencies are financed mainly by
U.S. Funding of the U.N. System
assessed contributions. Voluntary contributions finance
Congress has generally authorized contributions to the U.N.
special funds, programs, and offices. The budgets for many
system as part of Foreign Relations Authorization Acts;
of these organizations may fluctuate annually depending on
appropriations are provided to the Department of State and
contribution levels. The U.N. funds and programs are
U.S. Agency for International Development to meet
financed mainly by voluntary contributions.
obligations. When authorization bills are not enacted,
Congress has waived the authorization requirements and
U.N. Regular Budget. The U.N. regular budget funds the
appropriated funds through Department of State, Foreign
core administrative costs of the organization, including the
Operations, and Related Programs legislation. The
General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat,
Administration’s FY2019 budget proposed significant
International Court of Justice, special political missions,
decreases in funding to accounts supporting the United
and human rights entities. The regular budget is adopted by
Nations (see Table 1).
the U.N. General Assembly to cover a two-year period.
Since the late 1980s, most Assembly decisions related to
The Contributions to International Organizations (CIO)
the budget have been adopted by consensus. When budget
account, which funds assessed contributions to the U.N.
votes occur (which is rare) decisions are made by a two-
regular budget, specialized agencies, and other international
thirds majority of members present and voting, with each
organizations, would be reduced by 25%, from $1.46
country having one vote. The approved regular budget for
billion in FY2018 to $1.09 billion in FY2019. Of the
2018-2019 is $5.39 billion, or $2.7 billion a year.
FY2019 request, $863.39 million is designated for U.N.
entities—an 18% decrease from the FY2017 CIO U.N.
The General Assembly negotiates a scale of assessments for
funding level of $1.056 billion. (FY2018 funding for U.N.
the U.N. regular budget every three years based on a
entities is still being finalized.) The request assumes that
country’s capacity to pay. The United States is currently
U.N. organizations will “rein in costs, enhance their
assessed at 22% of the regular budget, the highest of any
accountability and transparency, improve efficiency and
U.N. member state. The U.S. assessment rate is set by a
effectiveness, and that the funding burden be shared more
ceiling that was agreed to in the General Assembly in 2000.
equitably among [U.N.] members.”
U.N. Peacekeeping Funding. There are currently 14 U.N.
The Contributions for International Peacekeeping
peacekeeping missions worldwide with over 100,000
Activities (CIPA) account, which funds U.S. assessed
https://crsreports.congress.gov
United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
contributions to most U.N. peacekeeping operations, would
commitment to the United Nations, affirms U.S. global
be reduced by 13%—from $1.38 billion in FY2018 to $1.19
leadership, leverages contributions from other countries,
billion in FY2019. The request notes the Administration’s
and helps the United States achieve its goals in U.N. fora.
commitment to “reevaluating the mandates, design, and
U.N. members are currently negotiating assessment rates
implementation” of missions, and sharing the financial
for 2019 through 2021; the new rates will likely be adopted
burden “more fairly” with other U.N. members. It also
by the General Assembly in December 2018.
appears to take into account the enacted 25% cap on U.S.
peacekeeping assessments (see “Selected Policy Issues”
U.S. peacekeeping assessment cap. In the early 1990s, the
section). Some U.N. peacekeeping operations are funded
U.S. rate of assessment for peacekeeping was over 30%—a
through other accounts; for example, the U.N. Support
level that many policymakers found to be too high. In 1995,
Office in Somalia (UNSOS) usually received contributions
Congress set a limit of 25% on the funds authorized after
through the Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) account.
FY1995. The 25% cap remains U.S. law; however, between
FY2001 and FY2016, Congress enacted legislation to raise
Table 1. Selected U.S. Contributions, by Account
the cap temporarily so that U.S. contributions were closer to
(Thousands of $ U.S. Dollars)
U.N. assessment levels. Congress did not enact a cap
adjustment for FY2017 peacekeeping funding, and the
FY16
FY17
FY18
FY19
U.S. cap returned to 25%. The State Department estimates
Actual
Actual
Enacted Request
that the United States will likely accumulate $274.6
million in arrears in FY2017 and $251.6 million in
CIO
1,446,186
1,359,206
1,467,408
1,095,045
FY2018 due to the gap between the enacted U.S. cap and
of which U.N.
1,100,391
1,056,431
N/A
863,395
U.N. assessment.
CIPA
2,460,662
1,907,564
1,382,080
1,196,108
PKO/UNSOS*
141,165
165,266
N/A
79,090
Tracking U.S. funding. U.S. funding to the United
IO&P
339,000
339,000
339,000
0
Nations is complex and often difficult to track in a timely
of which U.N.
282,550
295,275
296,275
0
and accurate manner. Challenges include changes in U.S.
Source: CRS correspondence with State Department, annual
assessment and exchange rates, U.N. budget adjustments,
appropriations bills, and congressional budget justifications.
and differences between the U.S. and U.N. fiscal years
Notes: N/A = Not available. *Administrations generally request
(see text box). Recognizing these issues, Congress has
UNSOS funds through CIPA; Congress funds UNSOS through PKO.
enacted several U.N. funding reporting requirements.
Most recently, it required the President to report on all
The International Organizations and Programs (IO&P)
contributions to the United Nations (P.L. 114-323). This
account, which received $339 million in FY2018
supplements other related requirements, including the State
(including $296.27 million for U.N. entities), funds U.S.
Department’s annual Contributions to International
voluntary contributions to many U.N. entities, including
UNICEF and the U.N. Development Program. For
Timing of U.S. and U.N. Fiscal Years
FY2019, the Administration proposed eliminating funding
to the account; similar proposal was included in the
The U.S. fiscal year (October 1 to September 30) does not align
FY2018 budget request.
with the U.N. regular budget fiscal year (January 1 to December
31) or the U.N. peacekeeping fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). As a
In addition, the United States generally provides voluntary
result, U.S. payments are often behind, and funding levels
contributions to U.N. entities for humanitarian-related
reported by the United States and U.N. system may not match.
activities through the global humanitarian accounts,
Organizations report, which was expanded in FY2016.
including Migration and Refugee Assistance, International
Disaster Assistance, and Food for Peace, Title II (P.L. 480),
U.S. funding and U.N. reform. Over the years, Congress
among others. In FY2017, the last year in which
has enacted legislation linking U.S. funding of the United
comprehensive information is available, these contributions
Nations to specific U.N. reform benchmarks or U.N.
totaled about $5.6 billion. These funding levels fluctuate
activities. For example, since the 1980s, the United States
year-to-year depending on the U.S. priorities and global
has withheld a proportionate share of assessed contributions
needs. The Administration’s request does not outline how
to selected activities or programs related to the Palestinian
this funding might be allocated among U.N. entities.
territories. Additionally, appropriations provisions since
Selected Policy Issues
FY2014 have linked U.S. funding to U.N. efforts to
enhance whistleblower protection, audit transparency and,
U.N. regular budget scale of assessments. Over the years,
since FY2018, travel restrictions for U.N. staff. Some
U.S. policymakers have expressed concern that current
Members of Congress have opposed such actions due to
assessment levels for the U.N. regular budget result in the
concerns that they may interfere with the United States’
United States providing the bulk of funding to the U.N.
influence and ability to conduct diplomacy in U.N. fora.
regular budget while having what they view as minimal
Others maintain that the United States should use its
influence on the budget process. Moreover, some have
position as the largest financial contributor to push for
called for increased transparency in the process for
reform, in some cases by withholding funding.
determining the scale of assessments. On the other hand,
some policymakers contend that the current assessment
Luisa Blanchfield, Specialist in International Relations
level is roughly equivalent to the U.S. share of world gross
national income. They argue it reflects the U.S.
IF10354
https://crsreports.congress.gov
United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
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