ブックタイトル佐藤栄作論文集９～１６

概要

佐藤栄作論文集９～１６

第11回努力賞FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT“Rarely have so few been asked to do so much with so little as the past coupleof years in peacekeeping.”19Likewise, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghaliannounced that“the UN is close to bankruptcy, with a debt of $1.7 billion, a capitalfund that‘is today virtually depleted’and a peacekeeping reserve fund dwindlingtowards zero.”20No organization can expect to be efficient or effective if it does nothave the capital it requires to operate on a daily basis. As of the end of September,sixty-two of the UN’s 184 members had not made a single payment towards their1994 regular budget assessments ? an amassed total of nearly $3.2 billion ! 21Financial responsibility is paramount to daily, let alone, efficient operation.Currently, the only recourse open to the UN regarding laggard membership paymentsis to suspend voting rights of a member state in the General Assembly. However, thisrecourse can only be applied if the amount of the arrears exceeds the value of thepreceding two years contributions. Even this action can be superseded as Article 19of the UN Charter stipulates that the General Assembly may vote to reinstate thatmember’s voting rights.Additionally, a number of member countries are voicing their displeasure about“inequality”in the distribution of the financial onus. The present method of calculationis based on a formula that assesses each member’s payment capabilities according toa set of fiscal and economic data including national income, per capita income and debtover the previous eight years. 22 A UN special committee has recently been establishedto recommend a new scheme for determining contributions. 23This issue of fairnessis a valid concern and should be factored into any overhaul of fiscal obligations andcommitments.Obviously, the UN cannot operate under these conditions. In light of the financial19 Jim Mannion,“UN struggles to keep up with demand”, Mainichi Daily News, November 3, 1994, p. 2.20“U.N. Bankruptcy?”, Time, October 24, 1994, p. 32.21“U.N., owed billions, drowning in red ink”, The Daily Yomiuri, October 14, 1994, p. 6.22“U.N. committee to set new formula for contributions”, The Daily Yomiuri, December 3, 1994, p. 4.23 Ibid.299