UN owes $800 million to India for peacekeeping operations

UNITED NATIONS: The UN owes $ 80 million to India, the most it has to pay to any country, for costs relating to peacekeeping operations, a top official said.

Apart from India, among the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions, the other top countries which are owed outstanding payments for such operations are Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Rwanda and Nigeria.

"Among those countries waiting for our payment, on top of the list is India. We owe India 80 million dollars" for contributing troops, formed police units and related costs, Under-Secretary-General for Management Yukio Takasu told reporters here yesterday.

India is followed by Ethiopia, to which the UN owes $ 54 million, Bangladesh ($ 50 million), Pakistan ($ 49 million), Rwanda ($ 37 million) and Nigeria ($ 35 million).

On the other hand, the United States owes $ 795 million to the UN for the regular budget, and $ 651 million for peacekeeping operations assessment.

Brazil and Venezuela are the other top two member states which owe $ 75 million and $ 22 million respectively to the UN.

Fifty-six other member states owed the organisation $ 53 million for the regular budget.

Takasu said the UN is urging member states to expedite payment of outstanding dues to the world body so that it could in turn pay to countries like India for their services.

"UN has no resources of its own, so we are totally dependent on income from member states. At the same time we have obligation for countries working for us."

"We are very much conscious of this. Peacekeeping budget is slightly different from regular budget," he said when asked to explain how significant amounts of money are owed to mostly developing nations while countries like the US have not paid their dues to the UN.