As UN
Owes Over
$500M to
Peacekeeping
Countries,
Japan Owes
$356M
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 11 --
When the head
of the UN's
Department of
Management
Yukio Takasu,
previously
Japan's
Ambassador to
the UN,
briefed the
UN's Budget
Committee on
Thursday
morning he
projected that
over $500
million will
still be owned
at the end of
this year to
countries
which
contribute
troops, police
and equipment
to UN
Peacekeeping
missions.
Inner
City Press
went to
Thursday's UN
noon briefing
and asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
for an
explanation of
this large
debt by the
UN.
The previous
Management
chief came and
did press
briefings on
such figures,
naming and
praising the
countries
which had been
on-time in
paying their
dues to the UN
and UN
Peacekeeping.
That still
hasn't
happened under
her successor.
During
the
Budget
Committee
meeting Under
Secretary
General
Takasu, when
he came to
Slide 11
listing
countries
which are
behind on dues
payments for
UN
Peacekeeping,
moved quickly
over the slide
without naming
any country. Video
here, at
Minute 9:27.
Thursday
afternoon,
while still
waiting for an
answer to its
question at
noon, Inner
City Press
went to
Conference
Room 3 seeking
a copy of
Takasu's
presentations
and slides,
but was told
that none was
available.
Further
inquiry
finds that on
the sped-over
Slide 11 Japan
is listed as
the country
most behind in
due to UN
Peacekeeping,
for the second
year in a row,
owing $356
million as of
October 5,
2012.
There may well
be a UN
explanation -
but that's why
having
briefings, or
at least
timely
answering
questions, is
the way to go.
The
slides also
list the
countries to
which the UN
owes most in
Peacekeeping
back-payments,
topped by
Pakistan and
Bangladesh,
owed $107
million each,
India at $95
million,
Ethiopia $56
million,
Nigeria $43
million, Egypt
$42 million
and Rwanda,
owed $39
million.
Rwanda
is poised to
be elected to
the UN
Security
Council on
October 18.
Perhaps by
then the UN
will have
answered why
it owes this
money. Watch
this site.
, 
