On October 7, 2024, the United Nations held an important meeting to discuss a highly controversial issue—a proposal to "increase the membership fees for China and other developing countries by 2025."
Faced with this clearly unjust rule, the Chinese representative stood up to sternly criticize and question the fairness of this proposal.
For the past decade, China's contribution to the UN budget has steadily risen, with the amount increasing year after year.
From 10 years ago to now, China's contribution rate has increased by 10%, making China's financial contribution to the UN more and more significant.
In stark contrast, the United States' contribution rate has remained fixed at 22%, regardless of global economic fluctuations, with no increase in its contribution rate.
UN dues are used to support its daily operations, including peacekeeping missions, humanitarian aid, and global development projects.
These costs need to be shared by all member states, and in principle, countries with stronger economies should shoulder more of the burden, while those with weaker economies should pay less.
However, in recent years, there has been a significant deviation from this principle in practice.
Since 2013, the financial burden on developing countries at the UN has been increasing. Take China as an example: in 2016, China's contribution rate was 7.921%, and it has risen almost every year since then, reaching 15.005% in 2019, and further increasing to 15.254% by 2022.
This shows that developing countries are already contributing far more financially to the UN than they should.
As China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Dai Bing, pointed out, by 2025, China's and the G77’s combined contributions will have grown nearly fourfold compared to 15 years ago, while at the same time, developed countries' contribution rates have been steadily declining.
This clearly violates the principle of fairness and does not meet the general expectations of the international community.
If the resolution of this meeting is passed, China and other developing countries could face an even heavier financial burden.
For many developing countries, this would undoubtedly make things worse.
Many of these countries still face problems such as backward infrastructure, poverty, and lack of educational resources, and their economic development is far behind that of developed countries.
For example, since 2009, China's UN dues have increased nearly sixfold.
While China's overall national strength has significantly improved in recent years, and it plays an increasingly important role in international affairs, this does not mean that China and other developing countries should bear a financial burden that exceeds their economic capabilities.
In contrast to developing countries, the contribution rates of developed countries like the United States have not increased; in fact, some have decreased.
Take Japan as an example: its contribution rate has dropped from 10.833% a decade ago to 8.033%.
Meanwhile, the United States has legislated domestically to fix its contribution rate at 22%, regardless of changes in the UN's actual needs.
As the world's most powerful economy, the United States should be making a greater contribution to the UN, but in reality, it has not increased its contributions and has instead imposed restrictions.
This behavior clearly goes against the principle of fair burden-sharing and seriously undermines the credibility of the United Nations.
What’s more ironic is that the United States, in addition to limiting its contribution rate through legislation, has become the UN's largest debtor.
To date, the U.S. still owes more than $1 billion in unpaid dues, making it notorious for being a "deadbeat" in the international community.
This behavior not only affects the normal operation of the UN but also sets a very negative example for other countries.
In stark contrast, some developing countries have been stripped of their voting rights at the UN for failing to pay part of their dues.
For example, Venezuela lost its voting rights simply because it could not pay some of its dues on time.
In contrast, despite its massive arrears, the United States retains all of its rights and privileges.
In fact, the UN's financial problems are not insurmountable.
In recent years, the UN has already taken some cost-saving measures, such as reducing water and electricity expenses in office buildings and temporarily closing some facilities.
These measures have eased some financial pressure, but they are far from enough.
The UN should take a more active role in pursuing unpaid dues from developed countries, especially the enormous arrears owed by the U.S.
These unpaid amounts are one of the main reasons for the UN's financial difficulties. If the UN cannot effectively address this issue, it will remain in financial crisis for a long time.
To ensure financial stability, the UN could consider using diplomatic or even legal measures to urge developed countries to fulfill their financial obligations.
For countries that have long been in arrears, restricting their rights at the UN, such as suspending voting rights, could be considered.
The UN’s dues allocation system clearly has unreasonable aspects.
Currently, developing countries bear too heavy a financial burden, while developed countries are not fulfilling their responsibilities.
The UN needs to re-adjust its contribution mechanism based on the actual payment capacities of different countries. When setting new contribution rates, factors such as a country's level of economic development, population, and responsibilities in international affairs should be fully considered.
Although China has yet to complete its payment of the 2024 dues, this is not a deliberate delay.
China has always been a strong supporter of the UN, taking on important responsibilities in international affairs.
In 2023 alone, China paid $446 million in dues, clearly demonstrating its support for the UN.
However, given the pressures of domestic economic transformation and global economic downturns, China needs to manage its financial expenditures more carefully.
Developing countries are already facing a heavy burden, and any further increases in dues will undoubtedly add even more pressure on them.
The financial problems facing the UN are a global challenge that requires the joint efforts of all countries to find a solution.
Developed countries, especially the United States, must fulfill their responsibilities, pay their dues on time, and maintain the authority and credibility of the UN.
Only through fair burden-sharing can the UN truly play its leadership role in international affairs.
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