March 12, 2009

One day after meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Capitol Hill yesterday for talks with congressional leaders about a broad range of international issues. In meetings with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA), as well as other legislators, the Secretary-General discussed issues ranging from UN reform, peacekeeping, and human rights to Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, Somalia, and UN relief efforts for Palestinians. Ban said that climate change “dominated” his discussions with congressional leaders and he stated that, with U.S. leadership in partnership with the United Nations, the international community “can and will reach a climate change deal that all nations can embrace.”

Ban Points to $1 Billion in Unpaid U.S. Dues

Another of the main issues raised by the Secretary-General was U.S. financial support of the United Nations, specifically American arrears owed to the organization. According to a UN press release, the Secretary-General noted that the United States currently owes approximately $1 billion in outstanding dues to the United Nations. Ban said the United States is a generous supporter of the UN’s work, but also pointed out that the organization “cannot do the work you ask us to do without the resources to get the job done,” according to the release.

Ros-Lehtinen Criticizes Comment that U.S. is “Deadbeat”

After meeting with the Secretary-General, House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) voiced concern about Ban’s message regarding U.S. arrears. “He used the word ‘deadbeat’ when it came to characterizing the United States. I take great umbrage over that,” Ros-Lehtinen said after the meeting, according to a press release issued by her office. Earlier today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also commented on Ban’s use of the word “deadbeat”, saying that his word choice was “unfortunate.”

In an additional statement released yesterday, Ros-Lehtinen said the Secretary-General’s comment was “beyond belief” and noted that the United States is the UN’s largest contributor and is “always on deck.” She chastised Ban for asking for funding from the United States at a time when, according to Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, he is making little progress in improving an organization that is “badly broken”, “corrupt”, and has been “hijacked by a rogues’ gallery” of member states. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen has introduced a wide-ranging bill (H.R. 557) that conditions payment of U.S. assessed contributions to the United Nations on the implementation of certain reforms intended to improve transparency and accountability. The bill, which has 69 cosponsors, also seeks to shift the payment of UN regular budget dues from an assessed to a voluntary basis.

Ban Says UN Needs Support of Member States

After returning to UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General used his monthly press conference today to clarify what he termed a misunderstanding regarding U.S. financial support of the United Nations that arose during a meeting with House members. The Secretary-General said that he noted the U.S. Government’s generous support of the organization while also pointing out that the United States is the UN’s largest debtor, with more than $1 billion in arrears, a figure he said will soon reach $1.6 billion. “My point,” Ban said, “was simply that the United Nations needs the fullest support of its members, and never more so than in these very demanding times.” 

Notes Congressional, Administration Support for UN Funding

Asked later in his press briefing about the U.S. arrears, the Secretary-General said that such a large amount of unpaid dues makes it very difficult for the UN to conduct its peacekeeping operations and other activities. He noted, however, that many members of Congress and the Administration, including the President and Secretary of State, have expressed strong support for resolving this issue.