I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 483
To authorize appropriations for the payment of United States arrearages
to the United Nations.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 21, 1997
Mr. LEACH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on International Relations
A BILL
To authorize appropriations for the payment of United States
arrearages to the United Nations.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States played a leading role in
the founding of the United Nations in 1945.
(2) The United Nations, which by charter is
dedicated to saving ‘‘succeeding generations from
the scourge of war’’, continues to promote important
interests of the United States in the protection of
human rights, the control of weapons of mass de-
struction, advancing the ideal of democracy, open
international trade and investment, the promotion of
sustainable development, refugee protection and hu-
manitarian relief, the prevention of global conflict,
eradicating disease, and environmental protection.
(3) The United States remains committed to
working to achieve reform and instill greater budget
discipline in the United Nations, and to continue the
trend toward restructuring and revitalizing that or-
ganization.
(4) Ongoing reform efforts in the United Na-
tions are jeopardized by a serious financial crisis,
caused in part by arrearages on payments by mem-
ber states.
(5) The United States is the leading debtor to
the 
United 
Nations, 
owing 
more 
than
$1,300,000,000 at the end of 1996 for the regular
and peacekeeping operations of the United Nations.
(6) The assessed share of the United States for
the regular budget of the United Nations is just over
$320,000,000 for 1996, or slightly more than $1 for
each citizen of the United States.
(7) Article 17 of the United Nations Charter
states that ‘‘[t]he expenses of the Organization shall
be borne by the members as apportioned by the Gen-
eral Assembly’’, of which the United States is a
member.
(8) Payment by the United States of its assess-
ment for the regular budget and the peacekeeping
operations of the United Nations is a solemn treaty
obligation under international law, voluntarily under-
taken through the ratification by the United States
of the United Nations Charter.
(9) Efforts to reform and revitalize the United
Nations cannot succeed without the political, moral,
financial, and material support of the United States.
(10) United States leadership in an effective
United Nations will be seriously jeopardized if the
Congress fails to fulfill the financial obligations of
the United States to the United Nations in a full
and timely manner, consistent with international law
and the role of the United States as a founder and
leading member of the United Nations.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR AR-
REARAGES IN ASSESSED CONTRIBUTIONS TO
THE UNITED NATIONS FOR PRIOR YEARS.
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, there are authorized to be appropriated
$376,775,000 for the payment of arrearages in assessed
contributions of the United States to the United Nations
(other than contributions for international peacekeeping
activities) for fiscal years prior to fiscal year 1998.
(b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursuant
to subsection (a) are authorized to remain available until
expended.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR CON-
TRIBUTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE-
KEEPING ACTIVITIES.
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, there are authorized to be appropriated
$926,154,000 for the payment of arrearages in assessed
contributions of the United States for international peace-
keeping activities of the United Nations for fiscal years
prior to fiscal year 1998.
(b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursuant
to subsection (a) are authorized to remain available until
expended.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the United States should maintain its lead-
ership role within a more effective United Nations,
and continue to seek to lower the long-term costs as-
sociated with the participation of the United States
in the United Nations;
(2) the United States should continue its efforts
to persuade other members of the United Nations to
support a broad agenda for reform, budgetary dis-
cipline, and equitable financial burdensharing at the
United Nations; and
(3) the United States should promptly negotiate
a reduction in its assessed contribution for any Unit-
ed Nations peacekeeping operation to an amount not
greater than 25 percent of the total amount of all
assessed contributions for that operation.
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