United Nations- Fiscal Problems Essay, Research Paper
If the United Nations is to stay an effectual force in the universe? s political
spectrum it must reform, and do itself more financially sound and go
a more amalgamate unit with each state being given equal representation
and chance to hold their sentiments voiced and respected. When the UN
was formed in the station war 40? s its end was to maintain another war from
happening every bit good as do the universe a better topographic point to populate. Problems and
contentions have late plagued the UN and the veto power held by
certain states are making a state of affairs where the smaller states such as
Canada, have small if any opportunity to voice their sentiments against powers such
as the USA and Russia. Merely after all of the fiscal and representational
barriers are taken down will the UN one time once more be able to work and work
towards its ends.
The UN must besides do the Americans, whom are its biggest
subscriber, live up to it? s duties. Merely with the engagement of the
Americans can the UN of all time hope to last through the following millenium.
The issues of Financial Reform within the UN, covering with the
Americans, Peace-Keeping, and the Veto power are all inter-related. Veto
states abuse the powers they are given by declining to pay, or lending
small to the UN and leting the weaker states to make the dirty work.
Peace Keeping is, possibly, The most of import of the UN? s responsibilities.
But without the financess and equipment of the veto states Peace Keeping
forces will go merely a memory.
The chief job confronting the UN, despite the issues with Veto powers,
Peace Keeping, and the Americans, is the organisations fiscal state of affairs. It
has been forced to get down a drawn-out restructuring to do it more cost effectual
due to the deficiency of financess it is meeting.
I. Making The UN More Cost Effective
In a recent UN study entitled, ? Regenerating the United Nations: A
Program for Reform? the UN functionaries began to turn to this job. The
study outlined the class which will be taken in order to equilibrate the budget.
The current budget of the UN is 2.6 billion dollars.1 This sum may
seem high, but it is really little when compared to the costs of other plans
instituted around the universe. The UN? s budget is presently 1 billion dollars
less than the budget of the Tokyo Fire Department, and $ 3.7 billion less than
the cost of New York State? s University Program.2 When compared to these
you can truly see merely how small money the UN operates on. In fact the lone
ground that the UN is in fiscal problem at all, is because several member
provinces in the organisation have non, as of yet, paid their compulsory dues.
These measures are left unpaid for different grounds, runing from simple poorness,
as in the instance of Somalia, or as a signifier of seting political force per unit area upon the
UN, as in the instance of the United States.
Since the organisation itself is wholly reliant upon the money it
receives from it? s members it is about incapacitated in its hopes to travel frontward.
The lone manner of penalizing members who do non pay is to kick them out of
the organisation and cut off the benefits they receive.
The current fiscal reform of the UN is really complex. It will
involve, for the most portion, cuts in employee? s and an increased efficiency
from it? s four sections. These sections being Peace and Security ;
Economic and Social Affairs ; Development Co-operation ; and Human-centered
Personal businesss.
The 1998-1999 budget shows the debut of many of the cuts and
alterations that are traveling to be made. During this clip 1000 places are traveling
to be cut3 with most of these occupations coming out of the Secretariat department.4
The cuts in occupations have, in fact, been happening since 1986 and have amounted
in a decrease of staff from 12,000 to 90005, which translates into a 20 %
decrease in office and general staff, and 40 % in upper management.6
In add-on to the film editing of occupations many preexistent sections are
besides being consolidated to advance efficiency.
The 3 presently bing Departments in Economical and Social Affairs
are being integrated to organize a new united Department.7 This will let the
old sections to work more closely with each other and improve efficiency.
The plans presently in topographic point that work towards contending offense, drug
trafficking, money laundering, and terrorist act will unite to organize a new,
unified, section centered in Vienna, Austria, under the leading of
Senator Arlacchi, of Italy.8
The Centre for Human Resources and the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights are besides being consolidated and are being
placed under the control of Mary Robinson who is presently the President of
Ireland.9
Equally good as these consolidations, the Secretariat arm of the UN will travel
from holding 12 entities or subdivisions to merely holding 5.10
When all of these different consolidations are completed important
nest eggs are expected, and the efficiency of the Organization is besides expected
to lift, from the sharing of installations and resources.
In combination with the old alterations, the UN is besides altering its
forces and disposal regulations to do the passages every bit simple as
possible. The complex system of regulations which had frequently times hindered the
UN Secretariat from finishing its work are now being simplified so that the
reforms being instituted will non be stopped from making their occupations. This
simplification of paperwork will besides salvage the UN money in other ways.
Namely in the cost of paper itself. The sum of paper being used by the
UN will diminish by 30 % in 1997/98 as compared to the sum used in
1995.11
The leading construction of the UN will besides be overhauled every bit good, in
order to supply answerability and aid with the reforms that are happening.
It is difficult to conceive of that the leading of the UN, as is, would hold had the
power to transport on with the necessary alterations that they are undergoing. The
Secretary-General merely does non hold the power to establish them as it is
right now. With the alteration in construction the Secretary-General will be given
the necessary sum of power within the organisation to go on on.
A Deputy Secretary-General is being created whom will help the
Secretary-General. The Deputy will make full in for the Secretary-General in his
absence, portion his representational responsibilities, and assist him implement alterations that
cut across administrative and sectoral boundaries. This will let the
Secretary-General to manage exigency state of affairss with ease.12
A Senior Management Group is being formed in order to advance
greater co-operation between the assorted sections of the UN while these
reforms are taking place13. Executive commissions of the sectoral groups,
which were formed in January of 1997 will be strengthened to assist. They
will besides include all the sections, programmes, and financess of the United
Nations.14
Other, less drastic reforms are besides being instituted to increase
productiveness and cut down costs inside the UN.
Presently, the UN has 400 efficiency undertakings in topographic point which are
expected to be completed as of December 31, 1997.15 Many of these are non
major 1s, but this does demo that the UN is serious about cutting costs.
In order to guarantee that the necessary financess are available to run the
plans many people rely on for simple endurance, a go arounding Credit Fund,
which could make up to $ 1 billion U.S. , is being created dwelling, entirely of
contributions made to it by member states.16 This will let financess to be
available whenever an exigency arises.
The staff presently employed by the UN will undergo extended
retraining to increase their ain personal productiveness and efficiency, and
fix them for the alterations which will happen in their occupations once the reforms
take topographic point. A new Code of Conduct has been added to the Staff regulations and
ordinances which are presently in place.17
In add-on to this, a reappraisal of the International Civil Service
Commission is being taken in order to let this organisation to map
more independently. The International Civil Service Commission is made up
of a group of experts on wages, allowances, compensation, and conditions
of service, stand foring all the parts inside the UN.18
Equally good as decreasing costs and increasing efficiency the cuts and
consolidations will besides let the Secretariat to respond to international
exigencies quicker due chiefly to the remotion of the ruddy tape which
antecedently hindered reaction clip.
Shifting nutrient stocks, making base pass service bundles, and
making a Global Supply Chain will besides let the UN to rush up its
response clip to exigency state of affairss leting for greater efficiency in the
distribution.19
With all of the above alterations, the United Nations has shown that it is
serious about fiscal reform within the plans that it runs and, in the
procedure, has given itself a new rental on life. But while these alterations were
necessary, other cardinal alterations will hold to be made to countries such as peace
maintaining in order to stay financially stable. Peace maintaining itself is presently
experiencing the proverbial? pinch? as it tries to transport out it? s daunting authorizations
with small, if any, fiscal aid from the UN itself.
II. Effectss of Financial Problems on Peace Keeping
The most celebrated map of the United Nations is, without a uncertainty, the
peace maintaining missions that help to advance, and create, universe peace in
states that are presently at war. United Nations peacekeepers have seen
extended action in topographic points such as Korea, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Somalia.
Despite the proud history of this celebrated establishment, it is presently enduring
because of the deficiency of fundss, non due to overspending or high costs but,
like its opposite numbers in the Secretariat, because of the deficit of financess
created when member provinces fail to pay their UN dues.
When you look at the statistics the Peace maintaining is really really
cheap. The $ 1.4 billion in costs last year20, may look comparatively high, but
one time you consider that this sum would hold amounted to merely 1 % of the
American military budget and.2 % of universe military spending21 you can truly
see merely how efficient these forces are.
The United Nations itself does non hold an existent ground forces. It relies entirely
on troop and equipment parts from member states to do peace
maintaining a world. In return for the contributions the UN makes a promise to the
donating state, to to the full reimburse them, in financial figures. This is where the
peace maintaining debt exists.
The entire sum presently owed is $ 1.6 billion, which is indebted to
78 different countries.22 To do the job worse, most of the states
that are still owed money are developing 1s, who could utilize the money to
aid out their current fiscal jobs.
As of July 31 there were 23,861 UN military personnels in deployment23 in countries
such as Bosnia and Iraq. In entire there are 16 missions underway, with the
costs for these being merely $ 1.3 billion.24
I have included a map of all UN operations, both completed and
incomplete, so that you can see merely precisely where the peace keepers are, or
have been, deployed.
Once once more, the sum spent on universe peace maintaining is non a big
sum. The cost for the mean American to finance these missions, after
you take into history the USA? s 31 % or $ 400 million assessed portion in peace
maintaining, sums to merely the cost of six tins of soda.25 World Military
disbursement adds up to $ 778 billion or $ 134 for every human being on earth.26
When you consider the sums of money put into war and devastation, how
much money is truly excessively much in halting all of the devastation from
happening?
To do affairs worse for the peace keepers, due to the impoverished
financial state of affairs of the UN, money has been
taken out of the peace maintaining
budget merely to cover the UN? s regular expenses.27 This farther hinders the
UN? s ability to pay back the states who have donated work forces and equipment
to this baronial cause. Without the financess that are required this of import
plan will stay in hazard.
III. Veto Powers
To truly understand the UN? s fiscal crisis, you have to understand
the manner in which money is collected for the organisation. Member provinces are
accessed a portion of the budget based on their national incomes, and their
overall ability to pay this measure. Pay rates for UN members range from the
lower limit of a.01 % or $ 106, 508 contribution, which is presently being
contributed by 98 states, to a 25 % donation.28
For this ground, most of the money comes out of industrialised
states such as the United States, Germany, and Japan. If you look at per
capita contributions you would see that the 4 Norse states every bit good as
many developing states rank near the top. The mean American paid
merely $ 1.11 for the UN, while the mean San Marinian paid over $ 4 for the
services.
In the graph on page 13 you will detect that 7 states entirely manage
much of the UN? s budget. The fact of the affair is that these 7 states,
who contribute 71 % of the UN? s working budget29, are non genuinely lending
? excessively much? to the organisation since they besides receive the most fiscal
benefits of the UN itself. The UN invests 64 % of its money into these
states and their concerns, adding $ 2.4 billion to their economies.30
The fiscal province of the UN has a great trade to make with another issue
blighting the organisation. This is the issue of veto powers. Presently 5
states have veto powers ; The United States, Great Britain, France, China,
and Russia.31 The veto power gives these states the right to over regulation any
determination made by the other members of the general assembly, after a
democratic ballot. One has to inquire how and organisation can of all time win
which allows 5 of its 185 members to hold supreme power over the others,
and of all time anticipate to carry through anything.
The veto states do provide much of the support available to the UN,
but in some instances, they don? t even pay this. States such as the US garbage
to pay their UN debts doing fiscal short approachs like the one the UN is
presently confronting.
The veto states do non lend all that many military personnels to the UN
peace maintaining missions either. In the graph which I have included on page
15, you will see merely how little a proportion of the UN peace maintaining force is
from the veto states.
In fact, of the 5 veto states, merely Russia ranked in the top 10 in
troop parts. China ranked merely 47th on the chart with a entire troop
part of merely 43 men.32
The veto states can besides derail determinations that have been made by the
general council. At the last election for Secretary-General, so
Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali was winning over Kafi Annan,
but could non stay on as Secretary-General because of the fact that the
Americans had been the solitary state to vote against him, and being that they
had the veto power, Boutros-Ghali was gone.
This, I believe goes against everything that the UN stands for. The United nations
is supposed to be a forum by which every state is allowed to voice their
sentiments about universe affairs. By leting for veto powers they are giving
the balance of power to 5 states. This is non what the organisation meant
to be.
During the cold war there was a demand for the veto. At that clip it
allowed Russia the United States and their cardinal Alliess to hold equal say in the
running of the UN. If one side of the struggle were allowed more power it
may hold led to a struggle between the two. Now that the cold war is over,
the veto is being used as merely as a mean by which to coerce the veto states
political positions upon the smaller states in the confederation, such as Canada.
There is besides a fiscal demand to acquire rid of the veto powers. The United
States, as bases, has no practical ground to pay its debt. They can non be
kicked out of the UN since, if there was a gesture to make this, they could merely
veto it anyhow. With no ground to pay, the US has shown small involvement in
making so.
Equally long as there are veto powers in the UN, it will ne’er be able to
function the intent it was created for. Small states will go on to be lost
in the political shuffling as they are now.
IV. American Expostulations
The United States is presently the state which owes the most money
to the United Nations. It is besides the one which receives the most benefits.
Presently the United States owes $ 1.4 billion dollars, which translates
into over half of the UN? s $ 2.3 billion debt.33
The entire Contribution per twelvemonth that the American authorities is asked
to pay is $ 312,000,000 or approximately 25 % of the UN? s entire budget.34 This is a
comparatively little investing for the Americans one time you take into history all
of the benefits the Americans receive from the organisation.
Of the $ 426 million in investings and passing the United Nations
done last twelvemonth, American companies received 49 % or 229 million of it.35 If
you take that figure off of their entire payment you will see that the Americans
merely paid $ 83 million in which they weren? t given back in direct concern.
The UN creates approximately 30, 607 occupations in the New York country entirely as
good as giving an estimated $ 1.2 billion in net incomes and bring forthing $ 3.2
billion in disbursement for the region.36 This is a really important sum. When
you see it from that angle it becomes evident that the Americans receive
much more from the UN than they put into it.
While they refuse to pay their just portion of the costs of the UN the
Americans still do certain that they hold a strong presence. The American
diplomats really lobbied for the film editing of 3000 occupations in order to salvage
costs,37 which wouldn? t even of been a job had their state lived up to
its duties.
As is, the Americans are having most of the financial benefits of the UN
without seting anything into it.
The American authorities refuses to pay their debt for other changing
grounds. Bob Dole, who late ran for President of the United States, said
that he would ne’er let American military personnels to come under UN control once more
and he blamed so Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for about
every job that has of all time occurred in the history of the UN.38
Unfortunately he is non the lone member of the US authorities who
portions this position.
American frights towards the UN are based chiefly on myths and prevarications.
Many Americans hold the UN responsible for the violent death of 18 American
soldiers in Somalia in 1994.39 The interesting thing about that statement is
that the soldiers themselves were under the leading of American functionaries
based in Florida at the clip. If those work forces had of been under UN control they
would ne’er of been sent out on that peculiar mission.40
There is besides a contention on whether American military personnels should be
allowed to be sent into action under the UN at all. Michael New, an ground forces
specializer, is in the centre of this contention. He underwent a tribunal Martial
because of his refusal to have on the UN logo on his uniform.41 Under
international jurisprudence he is required to make so.
The biggest oppositions in the US to the United Nations nevertheless are the
members of the many vigilance man reservess. Many of these groups are convinced
that the United Nations is out to take over the United States, or do the United states
a communist state. They do non understand the workings of the UN and
therefore fright it. As a consequence they frequently print propaganda such as the article which
I have included along with this undertaking, which is an exert entitled? The New
American? .
The United States plays an built-in function in the workings of the United
States. True, they provide the dorsum bone for the full organisation.
Because of the importance of the function it plays in universe political relations, the US
has to take duty, and pay its debts. The UN can non work without
the Americans, which, in a mode of speech production, they are now. The deficiency of
American financess has created a despairing province for an organisation, which in the
yesteryear, has bent over backwards to maintain them happy. It is clip for the
Americans to step up and except their duties as universe leaders, and
demo the adulthood that must come with duty.
V. In Conclusion & # 8230 ;
The United Nations is doing great paces towards doing itself
stronger and more incorporate as it prepare to come in the following millenium. The UN? s
hereafter is non wholly certain though, as one can non foretell what will happen
over the following few old ages in stead of the reforms being made and the of all time
altering face of the universe? s political relations.
By making a new and more efficient construction from which to work, the
United Nations has proven that it is serious about repairing its current financial
quandary. Measures are being taken to do certain that the passages are
smooth, both in the present, every bit good as in the hereafter. The UN needs to do
its passage to the leaner organisation it hopes to be in the approaching old ages as
painless as possible in order to avoid a province of pandemonium which could potentially
conveying the organisation to its articulatio genuss.
Merely by going more in fiscal matters sound can the United Nations of all time
hope to go on on into the following millenium as a strong, united group. The
planned consolidations will do the United Nations much more efficient and
save costs, and the new leading construction will let for a more diverse
sentiment to be heard and more concise and effectual determinations to be made.
Veto powers must be eliminated, nevertheless, because they are outdated
and have no topographic point in our station cold war society. Equal representation of all
states, large or little, must go a precedence of the Leaders of the United
States. Merely after everyone has the right to hold their ain alone positions on
the issues set uping our universe today heard and respected will the harmoniousness
necessary to maintain the United Nations alive exist. The remotion of veto
powers would besides coerce the states who are mistreating their power, such as
the United States, to pay the overpowering sums of money they owe the
organisation.
The United Nations does a batch of good for the universe. The peace
keepers have helped many states end the armed struggles which one time
threatened their very being, and UN organisations such as United nations children’s funds have
done admirations in assisting to feed and medicate the people in Third World
States.
I believe strongly that the United Nations will play an of import function in
the universe as we head into the following millenium. By undergoing these painful,
yet necessary consolidations and reforms, they have allowed the organisation
to beef up itself.
All of the universes states, including the 1s presently with veto
powers must work together to do certain that we do non lose this of import
trade good, for if we do, we will certainly endure the effects down the
route.
Bibliography
www.un.org ; ? Secretary-General Outlines Extensive,
Far-Reaching United Nations Reform? ; July 16, 1997
www.un.org ; ? Prepared For A Changing World?
www.un.org ; ? Untitled?
www.un.org ; ? Facts About Peace-Keeping? ; July 31, 1997
www.un.org ; ? The UN Financial Crisis?
www.un.org ; ? Puting The Record Straight: Some Facts
About the UN? ; July, 1997
www.washingtonu.edu ; ? UN Bashers Spreading Lies and
Myths? ; Victor T. Le Vine ; October, 1996
www.jbs.org/voll26.htm ; ? UN Pawns? ; ? The New
American? ; Volume 11 ; Number 26 ; December 15, 1995
United Nations ; Microsoft Encarta 97 ; CD edition ; Microsoft
Corporation 1997
United Nations ; Microsoft Bookshelf 1996-97 Edition ;
Microsoft Corporation 1996
345
