In what way does the predominance of the USA in the UN funding affect its decision-making?. (UPSC CSE Mains 2019 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 2).
- The finance of United Nations works from assessed contributions and voluntary contributions. The assessed contributions are made by all the member countries which help in functioning of the core of the UN. But many UN bodies like UNHCR, UNICEF rely upon voluntary contributions.
- The United States remains the largest donor to the United Nations, contributing roughly $10 billion in 2018, slightly less than one-fifth of the body’s collective budget. This financial reliance on the US has led to a power imbalance in the UN tilting towards the USA.
- The USA can single-handedly disrupt the functioning of a UN body. For example, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which previously relied on the United States for about one-third of its budget, said it would be forced to cut 250 jobs in 2018 after the Trump administration halted contributions to the agency.
- The US can coercively impose its decisions by threatening to stop the funding. Moreover, it is powerful enough to disregard the position of the UNSC as a decision-maker. The US did not wait for UN negotiations during the 2000s, post the 9/11 incidents.
- The pre-dominance of USA in the UN funding has made the UN a mere tool of the USA’s foreign policy. A more practical and shared approach is needed which will reduce the dependence on donations for the day-to-day working of the United Nations.
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