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Updated April 26, 2023
United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
The United States is the single largest financial contributor
U.N. Specialized Agencies. The 15 U.N. specialized
to the United Nations (U.N.) system. Congress has long
agencies, which include the World Health Organization;
debated the appropriate level of U.S. funding to U.N.
Food and Agriculture Organization; and U.N. Educational,
system activities and whether U.S. contributions are used
Scientific, and Educational Organization (UNESCO),
efficiently and effectively. U.S. policymakers’ perspectives
among others, are autonomous in executive, legislative, and
on U.N. funding have varied over time. For example, the
budgetary powers. Some agencies follow the scale of
Trump Administration consistently proposed significant
assessment for the U.N. regular budget, while others use
decreases in U.N. funding and withheld contributions to
their own formulas to determine assessments. The United
some U.N. bodies; however, Congress funded most U.N.
States is a member of 12 of 15 U.N. specialized agencies.
entities at higher levels than the Administration requested.
U.N. peacekeeping funding. There are currently 12 U.N.
The Biden Administration supports U.S. engagement with
peacekeeping missions worldwide with over 75,000
U.N. entities; the President’s FY2024 budget request
military, police, and civilian personnel. U.N. Security
proposed fully funding assessed contributions to U.N.
Council resolutions establishing new operations specify
bodies and paying selected U.S. arrears. For FY2023,
how each mission will be funded. In most cases, the
Congress fully funded most U.N. entities but (as in previous
Council authorizes the General Assembly to create a
years) withheld or conditioned funding for certain activities.
discrete account for each operation funded by assessed
U.N. System Funding
contributions; recently, the General Assembly temporarily
allowed peacekeeping funding to be pooled for increased
The U.N. system comprises interconnected entities
financial flexibility due to concerns about budget shortfalls.
including specialized agencies, funds and programs,
The approved budget for the 2022-2023 peacekeeping fiscal
peacekeeping operations, and the U.N. organization itself.
year (July 1 to June 30) is $6.45 billion. The peacekeeping
The U.N. Charter, ratified by the United States in 1945,
scale of assessments is based on modifications of the
requires each member state to contribute to the expenses of
regular budget scale, with the five permanent Council
the organization. The system is financed by assessed and
members assessed at a higher level than for the regular
voluntary contributions from U.N. members. Assessed
budget. The current U.S. peacekeeping assessment is
contributions are required dues, the payment of which is a
26.94%; however, Congress has capped the U.S.
legal obligation accepted by a country when it becomes a
contribution at 25%. China (18.69%) and Japan (8.03%)
member. Such funding provides U.N. entities with a regular
have the next highest assessment rates.
source of income to pay for staff and implement core
programs. The U.N. regular budget, specialized agencies,
U.S. Funding
and peacekeeping operations are all financed mainly by
U.S. funding to the United Nations is authorized under the
assessed contributions. Voluntary contributions primarily
United Nations Participation Act of 1945 (P.L. 79-264, as
finance U.N. funds and programs, such as UNICEF and the
amended). Funding authorization for other U.N. bodies is
U.N. Development Program, and donor commitments may
also included in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (P.L.
fluctuate annually. For more information, see CRS In Focus
87-195, as amended). Congress generally appropriates U.N.
IF11780, United Nations Issues: Overview of the United
system funding through the Department of State and U.S.
Nations System.
Agency for International Development (USAID) accounts
in annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
U.N. regular budget. The U.N. regular budget funds the
Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations Acts (Table 1).
core administrative costs of the organization, including the
Selected U.N.-related funding accounts are outlined below:
U.N. General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat,
International Court of Justice, special political missions,
The Contributions to International Organizations (CIO)
and human rights entities. The regular budget is adopted by
account funds assessed contributions to the U.N. regular
the Assembly and covers one calendar year (January 1 to
budget, U.N. specialized agencies, and other
December 31). Most Assembly decisions related to the
international organizations (IOs). The President’s
budget are adopted by consensus. When budget votes occur
FY2024 CIO budget request is $1.70 billion ($265.8
(which is rare) decisions are made by a two-thirds majority
million more than the FY2023-enacted amount). Of this
of members present and voting, with each country having
amount, $1.18 billion is for U.N. entities, including $40
one vote. The approved regular budget for 2023 is $3.4
million to synchronize U.S. regular budget payments
billion. The Assembly determines a regular budget scale of
with the U.N. fiscal year.
assessments every three years based on a country’s capacity
to pay. (Most recently, the Assembly adopted assessment
The Contributions for International Peacekeeping
rates for the 2022-2024 period in December 2021.) The
Activities (CIPA) account funds U.S. assessments to
United States is assessed 22%, the highest of any U.N.
most U.N. peacekeeping operations. The President’s
member, followed by China (15.25%) and Japan (8.03%).
FY2024 CIPA budget request is $1.94 billion ($458.7
million more than the FY2023-enacted amount). The
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link to page 2 United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
request, which would fully fund U.S. peacekeeping
affects the timing of U.S. payments), U.S. withholdings
assessments, includes $344 million to pay a portion of
from U.N. entities, and the State Department practice of
U.S. arrears that accumulated since FY2017 due to the
paying assessments on a deferred basis, causing some U.S.
25% cap.
funding to be delayed by a year. (These deferrals originate
from U.N. withholdings by President Reagan.) The status of
The International Organizations & Programs (IO&P)
arrears varies by entity; each organization has its own
account funds mostly core voluntary contributions to
process for paying, defining and tracking arrears.
U.N. funds and programs and other IOs such as the U.N.
Children’s Fund and U.N. Development Program. The
Selected Policy Issues
FY2024 budget request is $485.8 million ($22.7 million
U.N. regular budget assessment. Over the years,
less than the FY2023-enacted amount).
policymakers have expressed concern that current regular
Table 1. U.S. Funding: Select U.N.-Related Accounts
budget assessments levels result in the United States
providing the bulk of funding while having minimal
(Thousands of current U.S. dol ars)
influence on the budget process. Some have called for
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2024
increased transparency in the process for determining the
Actual
Enacted
Enacted
Request
scale of assessments. Conversely, others contend that the
CIO
1,505,928
1,662,928
1,438,000
1,703,881
current assessment level is roughly equivalent to the U.S.
CIPA
1,456,214
1,498,614
1,481,915
1,940,702
share of world gross national income. They argue that it
reflects U.S. commitment to the United Nations, affirms
IO&P
387,500a
423,000
508,600
485,850
U.S. leadership, leverages funding from other countries,
Sources: Annual congressional budget justifications and SFOPS bil s.
and helps the United States achieve its goals in U.N. fora.
a. IO&P also received $580 mil ion in FY2021 under P.L. 117-2.
U.S. peacekeeping assessment cap. In 1995, due to
Other U.S. Contributions. The United States also provides
concerns that the U.S. peacekeeping assessment was too
voluntary contributions to U.N. entities through other
high (over 30%), Congress set a limit of 25% on funds
SFOPS accounts. Congress generally appropriates overall
authorized after FY1995. From FY2001 to FY2016,
funding to each of these accounts, while the executive
Congress enacted legislation to raise the cap temporarily so
branch determines how funds are allocated based on policy
that U.S. contributions were closer to U.N. assessment
priorities and issue-specific needs. For example, according
levels. It did not enact an adjustment for FY2017-FY2023,
to USAID, the United States contributed about $7.44 billion
and the cap returned to 25%. As a result, the United States
to U.N. entities through global humanitarian accounts in
has accumulated $1.1 billion in cap-related arrears.
FY2022, including Migration and Refugee Assistance,
International Disaster Assistance, and Food for Peace, Title
Executive branch role. Congress does not specifically
II (P.L. 480). Such funding supported entities such as the
appropriate funding to many U.N. bodies. Instead, it often
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and World Food
appropriates lump-sum amounts to U.N.-related accounts.
Program. U.S. funding is also provided through accounts
As a result, the executive branch has some leeway to
supporting global health, security, and development
determine how funds are allocated, often with little or no
objectives, including the Economic Support Fund and
congressional consultation. Some observers are concerned
Global Health Programs accounts.
that Administrations may not fund U.N. entities as
Congress intended. They suggest that Congress could
UNESCO funding. The United States withheld over $600
legislate funding levels for specific U.N. entities or
million in assessed contributions to UNESCO from FY2012
activities. At the same time, others maintain that this
until its withdrawal from the organization in 2018 under
approach deviates from long-standing (and largely
restrictions in P.L. 101-246 and P.L. 103-236. (These laws
bipartisan) practices intended to provide the executive
prohibit funding to U.N. entities that accord the Palestine
branch with flexibility to respond to unpredictable
Liberation Organization the same standing as member
circumstances (e.g. conflict, humanitarian, or health crises).
states, or grant full membership as a state to any group that
does not have the internationally recognized attributes of
U.S. funding and U.N. reform. Congress has attempted to
statehood.) The FY2023 SFOPS Act waives the above
influence the United Nations by enacting legislation linking
restrictions if the Administration determines and reports to
U.S. funding to specific U.N. reforms or activities. For
Congress that doing so “would enable the United States to
instance, it has withheld or conditioned funding to
counter Chinese influence or to promote other national
UNESCO, the Human Rights Council and U.N. activities
interests of the United States.” The waiver sunsets in
related to the Palestinians. It has also limited U.S. payments
September 2025 and would cease to exist if “the
to assessed budgets (e.g., the 25% peacekeeping cap). Some
Palestinians obtain the same standing as member states or
Members oppose such actions due to concerns that they
full membership as a state in the [U.N.] or any specialized
may interfere with U.S. influence and standing in U.N. fora.
agency” through means “outside an agreement negotiated
Others maintain that the United States should use its
between Israel and the Palestinians.” U.S. contributions to
position as the largest financial contributor to push for
UNESCO are funded through the CIO and IO&P accounts.
reform, in some cases by withholding U.S. funding.
U.S. Arrears. The United States often accumulates arrears
Luisa Blanchfield, Specialist in International Relations
to the U.N. regular budget and other U.N. bodies due to
IF10354
differences between the U.S. and U.N. fiscal years (which
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United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System
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