II

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 90

To establish reform criteria to permit payment of United States arrearages

in assessed contributions to the United Nations.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JANUARY 19, 1999

Ms. SNOWE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To establish reform criteria to permit payment of United

States arrearages in assessed contributions to the United

Nations.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United Nations Re5 form Act of 1999’’.

6 SEC. 2. PAYMENT OF UNITED STATES ARREARAGES IN AS7 SESSED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED NA8 TIONS.

9 (a) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding any other provi10 sion of law, for each of the fiscal years 2000 through
2

•S 90 IS

1 2004, no funds shall be available for obligation or expendi2 ture to the United Nations for the payment of United

3 States assessed contributions to the United Nations more

4 than one year in arrears as of the date of enactment of

5 this Act, as determined by the United States Government,

6 except as provided for under procedures described in sub7 section (b).

8 (b) PROCEDURES FOR THE RELEASE OF UNITED

9 STATES ARREARAGES TO THE UNITED NATIONS.—In ac10 cordance with procedures applicable to reprogramming no11 tifications under section 34 of the State Department Basic

12 Authorities Act of 1956, for each fiscal year 2000 through

13 2004, the President may make available for obligation or

14 expenditure to the United Nations an amount not to ex15 ceed 20 percent of United States assessed contributions

16 to the United Nations more than one year in arrears as

17 of the date of enactment of this Act, as determined by

18 the United States Government, if on January 31 of the

19 respective fiscal year the President determines and cer20 tifies to the relevant committees of the Congress that the

21 applicable reform criteria for that fiscal year has been

22 met.

23 (c) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section:

24 (1) RELEVANT COMMITTEES OF THE CON25 GRESS.—The term ‘‘relevant committees of the Con-
3

•S 90 IS

1 gress’’ means the Committee on Foreign Relations

2 and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate

3 and the Committee on International Relations and

4 the Committee on Appropriations of the House of

5 Representatives.

6 (2) APPLICABLE REFORM CRITERIA.—The term

7 ‘‘applicable reform criteria’’ means—

8 (A) for fiscal year 2000 that the United

9 Nations has maintained a zero nominal growth

10 budget in United States dollar terms and has

11 made all of its programs, offices and activities

12 open to auditing by the national auditing and

13 inspecting agencies of its member states to in14 clude, but not be limited to the United States

15 General Accounting Office and the State De16 partment Office of Inspector General, that the

17 United Nations Office of Internal Oversight

18 Services has been fully funded at its request

19 level, and that all products of the Office of In20 ternal Oversight Services relevant to United

21 Nations budgetary and administrative matters

22 are available to all United Nations member

23 states;

24 (B) for fiscal year 2001 that all criteria for

25 fiscal year 2000 continue to be met and that
4

•S 90 IS

1 United States representation on the United Na2 tions Advisory Committee on Administrative

3 and Budgetary Questions has been restored;

4 (C) for fiscal year 2002 that all criteria for

5 fiscal years 2000 and 2001 continue to be met

6 and that procedures for assessing contributions

7 for United Nations peacekeeping activities have

8 been reformed to ensure that for all logistical,

9 in-kind, and non-cash aid provided by the

10 United States to support United Nations as11 sessed peacekeeping activities that the United

12 States either receives from the United Nations

13 cash reimbursement for the full value of such

14 aid or credit toward the payment of assessed

15 contributions for peacekeeping operations;

16 (D) for fiscal year 2003 that all criteria

17 for fiscal years 2000 through 2002 continue to

18 be met and that the United Nations has divided

19 its regular budget into a small ‘‘core’’ assessed

20 budget representing only those activities deter21 mined by the General Accounting Office to be

22 necessary for the United Nations to maintain

23 its existence under the terms of the United Na24 tions Charter and a voluntary ‘‘program’’ budg25 et that would include all United Nations pro-
5

•S 90 IS

1 grams, developmental activities, regional activi2 ties, economic and social activities, and related

3 staff; and

4 (E) for fiscal year 2004 that all criteria for

5 fiscal years 2000 through 2003 continue to be

6 met and that the United Nations has approved

7 and implemented systemwide structural reform,

8 entailing a significant reduction in staff, that

9 would eliminate all outdated activities and pro10 gram duplication and would encompass all rel11 evant United Nations specialized agencies.

Æ