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Updated April 5, 2022
United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
The United States is the single largest financial contributor
States is assessed 22%, the highest of any U.N. member,
to the United Nations (U.N.) system. Congress has long
followed by China (15.25%) and Japan (8.03%).
debated the appropriate level of U.S. funding to U.N.
U.N. Specialized Agencies. The 15 U.N. specialized
system activities and whether U.S. contributions are used
agencies, which include the World Health Organization;
efficiently and effectively. U.S. policymakers’ perspectives
Food and Agriculture Organization; and U.N. Educational,
on U.N. funding have varied over time. For example, the
Scientific, and Educational Organization (UNESCO),
Trump Administration consistently proposed significant
among others, are autonomous in executive, legislative, and
decreases in U.N. funding and withheld contributions to
budgetary powers. Some agencies follow the scale of
some U.N. bodies. At the same time, Congress funded most
assessment for the U.N. regular budget, while others use
U.N. entities at higher levels than the Administration
their own formulas to determine assessments. The United
requested. The Biden Administration supports U.S.
States is a member of 12 of 15 U.N. specialized agencies.
engagement with U.N. entities; the President’s FY2023
budget request proposes fully funding assessed
U.N. peacekeeping funding. There are currently 12 U.N.
contributions to U.N. bodies and paying selected U.S.
peacekeeping missions worldwide with over 80,000
arrears.
military, police, and civilian personnel. U.N. Security
Council resolutions establishing new operations specify
U.N. System Funding
how each mission will be funded. In most cases, the
The U.N. system comprises interconnected entities
Council authorizes the General Assembly to create a
including specialized agencies, funds and programs,
discrete account for each operation funded by assessed
peacekeeping operations, and the U.N. organization itself.
contributions; recently, the General Assembly temporarily
The U.N. Charter, ratified by the United States in 1945,
allowed peacekeeping funding to be pooled for increased
requires each member state to contribute to the expenses of
financial flexibility due to concerns about budget shortfalls.
the organization. The system is financed by assessed and
The approved budget for the 2021-2022 peacekeeping fiscal
voluntary contributions from U.N. members. Assessed
year is $6.37 billion. The peacekeeping scale of
contributions are required dues, the payment of which is a
assessments is based on modifications of the regular budget
legal obligation accepted by a country when it becomes a
scale, with the five permanent Council members assessed at
member. Such funding provides U.N. entities with a regular
a higher level than for the regular budget. The current U.S.
source of income to pay for staff and implement core
peacekeeping assessment is 26.94%; however, Congress
programs. For example, the U.N. regular budget,
has capped the U.S. contribution at 25%. China (18.68%)
specialized agencies, and peacekeeping operations are all
and Japan (8.03%) have the next highest assessment rates.
financed mainly by assessed contributions. Voluntary
contributions primarily finance U.N. funds and programs,
U.S. Funding
such as UNICEF and the U.N. Development Program, and
Congress has generally authorized funding to the U.N.
donor commitments may fluctuate annually. For more
system as part of Foreign Relations Authorization Acts, and
information on the U.N. system, see CRS In Focus
appropriated funds through the Department of State and
IF11780, United Nations Issues: Overview of the United
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Nations System, by Luisa Blanchfield.
accounts in annual Department of State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations
U.N. regular budget. The U.N. regular budget funds the
bills (Table 1). President Biden’s FY2023 budget request
core administrative costs of the organization, including the
includes the following:
U.N. General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat,
International Court of Justice, special political missions,
$1.66 billion for the Contributions to International
and human rights entities. The regular budget is adopted by
Organizations (CIO) account, which funds assessed
the Assembly and used to cover a two-year period;
contributions to the U.N. regular budget, U.N.
however, in 2017 the Assembly voted to change the budget
specialized agencies, and other international
cycle to a one-year period beginning in 2020. Most
organizations (about $4.7 million less than the FY2022
Assembly decisions related to the budget are adopted by
enacted amount). This includes $1.17 billion for U.N.
consensus. When budget votes occur (which is rare)
entities, including $150 million to pay U.S. assessments
decisions are made by a two-thirds majority of members
to UNESCO, subject to restrictions under P.L. 101-246
present and voting, with each country having one vote. The
and P.L. 103-236. (These laws prohibit funding to U.N.
approved regular budget for 2022 is $3.12 billion. The
entities that accord the Palestine Liberation
Assembly determines a scale of assessments for the regular
Organization the same standing as member states, or
budget every three years based on a country’s capacity to
grant full membership as a state to any group that does
pay. Most recently, the Assembly adopted assessment rates
not have the internationally recognized attributes of
for the 2022-2024 period in December 2021. The United
statehood. UNESCO admitted the Palestinians as a
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link to page 2 United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
member in 2011. The United States withheld UNESCO
originally caused by Reagan Administration withholdings
funding from FY2012 until its withdrawal from the
to U.N. bodies in the 1980s.) The status of arrears varies by
organization in 2018.)
U.N. entity; each organization has its own payment timeline
and system for defining and tracking arrears.
$2.33 billion for the Contributions for International
Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) account, which funds
Selected Policy Issues
U.S. assessed contributions to most U.N. peacekeeping
U.N. regular budget assessment. Over the years,
operations (a nearly $830 million increase over the
policymakers have expressed concern that current regular
enacted FY2022 amount of $1.5 billion, which includes
budget assessments levels result in the United States
funding up to the 25% cap). The request, which would
providing the bulk of funding while having minimal
fully fund U.N. peacekeeping beyond the cap, also
influence on the budget process. Some have called for
includes $620 million to pay arrears accrued from
increased transparency in the process for determining the
FY2017 to FY2020 due to the 25% cap and $110.3
scale of assessments. Conversely, others contend that the
million to pay arrears from the 2021-2022 peacekeeping
current assessment level is roughly equivalent to the U.S.
year (also due to the cap).
share of world gross national income. They argue that it
reflects U.S. commitment to the United Nations, affirms
$457.2 million for the International Organizations and
U.S. leadership, leverages funding from other countries,
Programs (IO&P) account, which funds mostly core
and helps the United States achieve its goals in U.N. fora.
voluntary contributions to U.N. funds and programs and
other international organizations (about $34 million over
U.S. peacekeeping assessment cap. In 1995, due to
the FY2022-enacted amount of $423 million). The
concerns that the U.S. peacekeeping assessment level was
FY2023 request includes $135.5 million for UNICEF
too high (over 30%), Congress set a limit of 25% on the
and $56 million for the U.N. Population Fund.
funds authorized after FY1995. Between FY2001 and
FY2016, Congress enacted legislation to raise the cap
Table 1. U.S. Funding: Select U.N.-Related Accounts
temporarily so that U.S. contributions were closer to U.N.
(Thousands of current U.S. dol ars)
assessment levels. It did not enact a cap adjustment for
FY2017 through FY2019 and returned to 25%. As a result,
FY20
FY21
FY22
FY23
the United States accumulated about $920 million in cap-
Actual
Actual
Enacted
Request
related arrears from FY2017 to FY2020.
CIO
1,473,806
1,505,928
1,662,928
1,658,239
CIPA
1,526,283
1,456,214
1,498,614
2,327,235
Executive branch role. Congress does not specifically
IO&P
358,000
387,500
appropriate funding to many U.N. bodies. Instead, it often
a
423,000
457,200
appropriates lump-sum amounts to U.N.-related accounts.
Sources: Annual congressional budget justifications and SFOPS bil s.
As a result, the executive branch has some leeway to
a. IO&P received an additional $580 mil ion in FY2021 under Sec.
determine how funds are allocated, often with little or no
10005 of the American Rescue Plan Act (P.L. 117-2) for the
congressional consultation. Some experts and policymakers
U.N. Global Humanitarian Response Plan to COVID–19.
are concerned that Administrations may not fund U.N.
entities as Congress intended. They suggest that Congress
Other U.S. Contributions. The United States also provides
could legislate funding levels for specific U.N. entities or
voluntary contributions to U.N. entities through other
activities. At the same time, others maintain that this
SFOPS accounts. Congress generally appropriates overall
approach deviates from long-standing (and largely
funding to each of these accounts, while the executive
bipartisan) practices intended to provide the executive
branch determines how funds are allocated based on policy
branch with flexibility to respond to unpredictable
priorities and issue-specific needs. For example, USAID
circumstances (e.g. conflict, humanitarian, or health crises).
reports that the United States contributed about $5.87
billion to U.N. entities through global humanitarian
U.S. funding and U.N. reform. Congress has attempted to
accounts in FY2020 (most recent data available), including
influence the United Nations by enacting legislation linking
Migration and Refugee Assistance, International Disaster
U.S. funding to specific U.N. reform benchmarks or
Assistance, and Food for Peace, Title II (P.L. 480). Such
activities. For example, it has withheld or conditioned
funding supported U.N. entities such as the U.N. High
funding to UNESCO, the Human Rights Council and U.N.
Commissioner for Refugees and World Food Program. U.S
activities related to the Palestinians. It has also limited U.S.
funding is also provided through accounts supporting
payments to assessed budgets (e.g., the 25% peacekeeping
health, security, and development programs, including the
cap). From FY2014 through FY2020, SFOPS bills linked
Economic Support Fund and Global Health Programs
U.S. funding to U.N. whistleblower protection policies.
accounts, among others. In FY2020, U.N-related funding
Some Members oppose such actions due to concerns that
from these and other accounts was about $1.1 billion.
they may interfere with U.S. influence and standing in U.N.
fora. Others maintain that the United States should use its
U.S. Arrears. The United States often accumulates arrears
position as the largest financial contributor to push for
to the U.N. regular budget and other U.N. bodies due to
reform, in some cases by withholding U.S. funding.
differences between the U.S. and U.N. fiscal years (which
affects the timing of U.S. payments), U.S. withholdings
Luisa Blanchfield, Specialist in International Relations
from U.N. activities, and the State Department practice of
paying assessments on a deferred basis, causing some U.S.
IF10354
contributions to be delayed by a year. (These deferrals were
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United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
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