GENEVA - The head of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday (Feb 24) urged top contributor the United States to pay its fees in full after Washington made only a partial payment to the global body, amounting to less than 5 per cent of the total amount owed.
The United States has paid about US$160 million (S$203 million) of the more than $4 billion it owes to the UN, a United Nations spokesperson said last week, after Reuters reported that an initial payment was pending.
The United Nations Secretary-General has warned the body faces "imminent financial collapse" due to unpaid fees.
"Every member state has to pay its contribution in full and on time, and $160 million is obviously not in full," said Annalena Baerbock, president of the UN General Assembly, when asked at a Geneva press briefing about the US payment.
US President Donald Trump last week hosted the first meeting of his Board of Peace initiative that experts say could undermine the United Nations.
Asked whether the United Nations risks being sidelined, Baerbock said the global body endorsed the board only in the context of Gaza.
"And for everything else regarding peace and security, we do have an international institution and legitimate body. It's called the United Nations," she said.
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