Article 17
Article 17 provides that "The General Assembly shall consider and approve the budget of the Organization." The interpretation of section 2 is controversial. It reads:
- 2. The expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the Members as apportioned by the General Assembly.
When the United States fell behind in paying its dues to the UN, some members held that the US was breaking its treaty obligations to bear the expenses of the Organization. In 1995, Malaysia said that any unilateral decision to reduce UN assessments is "illegal and totally unacceptable" and Australia said it "would not accept" a situation whereby "the largest contributor, by it failure to comply with the Charter, would destabilize the operation of the UN". Another interpretation, advanced by the Cato Institute, is that "the intent is to make certain that the world body is financed by countries, not special interests outside the organization".
Read more about this topic: Chapter IV Of The United Nations Charter
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