UN General Assembly chief calls for US to pay fees in full

GENEVA – The head of the United Nations General Assembly on Feb 24 urged top contributor the United States to pay its fees in full after Washington made

only a partial payment

to the global body, amounting to less than 5 per cent of the total amount owed.

The United States has paid about US$160 million (S$202 million) of the more than US$4 billion it owes to the UN, a United Nations spokesperson said last week, after Reuters reported that an initial payment was pending.

The United Nations secretary-general has warned the body faces “imminent financial collapse” due to unpaid fees.

“Every member states has to pay its contribution in full and on time, and US$160 million is obviously not in full,” said UN General Assembly president Annalena Baerbock, when asked at a Geneva press briefing about the US payment.

US President Donald Trump last week hosted

the first meeting of his Board of Peace

initiative that experts say could undermine the United Nations.

Asked whether the United Nations risks being sidelined, Ms Baerbock said the global body endorsed the board only in the context of Gaza.

“And for everything else regarding peace and security, we do have an international institution and legitimate body. It’s called the United Nations,” she said. REUTERS