The United Nations: Payment due

Adrienne McPhail
October 4, 2005
Japan Today
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=comment&id=847

No taxation without representation was the battle cry of the American revolution when Britain heavily taxed the American colonies and refused to allow them representation in London's Parliament. This is now the position that Japan is taking in relationship to the United Nations. It was reported earlier this week by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun that Japan is planning on cutting its annual contribution to the U.N. budget by as much as 5% when negotiations begin in the spring to determine the budget revenues for 2007-2009.
This would strongly impact the U.N. budget as Japan is the second largest contributor to that organization after the United States and is currently committed to supporting 19.5% of the budget. There can be little doubt that this is in direct reaction to Japan's failure, along with Brazil, Germany and India, to secure a permanent seat on the Security Council.
This failure was the result of opposition from the United States and China and insufficient support from the 53-member African bloc. The United States had encouraged Japan to pursue this goal but when Japan aligned itself with the other three nations, U.S. support evaporated.
In addition to losing Japanese financial support, the United Nations is in danger of losing money from the United States as well. An influential U.S. congressman, Representative Henry Hyde, has headed up the call for substantial cuts in U.S. contributions unless radical reforms are enacted by the United Nations.
The United States currently contributes 22% of the U.N. budget, 27% of the U.N. peacekeeping budget and 39% of voluntary contributions for humanitarian programs. While the House of Representatives has already passed legislation, the Senate is expected to try and draft a comprise bill. Either way, Hyde has threatened to attach his bill to the next Defense Department request for funds and that would make it very difficult to defeat.
So, just what are these two nations upset about? There is a long list but beginning with Japan's generous ongoing contributions is the concern for the lack of equality among the member nations. Consider that in addition to the United States, the four other permanent members of the Security Council pay far less than Japan in dues. Britain and France pay 6.1% and 6%, respectively, China pays 2.1% and Russia only 1.1%. Yet, Japan has no more input in U.N. decisions than Tuvalu, a group of nine islands in the South Pacific which pay such a small percentage in dues it is impossible to calculate.
Another complaint that has really brought U.N. inefficient policies to light is the investigation into the oil-for-food program. After numerous months of investigation both internally by the U.N. and by a U.S. special committee, it has been proposed that a number of reforms be adopted to prevent this type of scandal from reoccurring. Chief among these recommendations was to put a senior official in charge of daily operations and to create and independent oversight board with audit powers. However, the U.N. General Assembly, that has budget control power, refused to incorporate these reforms in their final reform document.
They also failed to include a clear definition of terrorism and to abolish the current U.N. Human Rights Commission, replacing it with a working council that would actually promote and protect human rights. The current commission has members that are very suspect, such as Sudan and Libya.
The United Nations is following down the same path that proved to be the destruction of its predecessor, the League of Nations. Burdened with numerous financial problems and unable to fulfill its charter to promote peace and prevent war, the League of Nations dissolved under its own weight.
The window of opportunity for the United Nations to institute real and meaningful reform is rapidly closing. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman referred to the U.N. Security Council as not a board of directors whose importance is decided according to financial contributions from its members.
But this is an incorrect assessment of the reality the U.N. is facing. A solution should have been found by which members who are capable and willing to make major contributions, financial and otherwise, are given a greater voice in the overall decision-making process. The United Nations has become so concerned with their equality nation agenda that they have lost sight of their own charter and objective. While this might be well intended it is naive and impractical and the same countries that could benefit the most from a strong U.N. presence in the world may find they have no one but other each other to talk to.
Adrienne McPhail is an American journalist based in Yokosuka. She is a frequent contributor to Japan Today and The Arab News.