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1/ It's fair to say @UNPeacekeeping🇺🇳 is currently in a financial crisis caused largely but not solely by the 🇺🇸 Trump administration. Here's a thread explaining the state of play undocs.org/a/73/809
2/ First a caveat: the numbers fluctuate regularly so what follows are just snapshots. @UNPeacekeeping & its troop- & police-contributing countries (T/PCCs) are reimbursed after the fact. Here's an explainer of how it works via @ipinstGO theglobalobservatory.org/2018/10/in-us-…
3/ When UN Member States don't pay their @UNPeacekeeping dues in full and on-time it hurts 1) T/PCCs; 2) mission effectiveness in the field; and 3) the reputation of the UN's🇺🇳 general effective system for financing #PeaceOperations.
4/ So which UN Member States haven't been paying their @UNPeacekeeping contributions in full & on time? Here's the top 10 culprits 30 June 2017-30 June 2018 (my chart) undocs.org/a/73/809 
5/ For context, this is by far the highest level of @UNPeacekeeping arrears accumulated for the last 5 years (28% of the entire annual assessment as of June 2018). Here's the numbers (in red) for 2014-2018 undocs.org/a/73/809
6/ When some UN Member States don't pay in full & on time, who eats the costs? Ans. major T/PCCs & @UNPeacekeeping operations in the field. These are the T/PCCs owed most $$$ by the UN & hence affected most by arrears.
7/ With regard to current @UNPeacekeeping field missions, if arrears stop their budget flows, they might have access to 3 months cash reserves-if they're lucky. But as of Dec. 2018 only 2 missions had that (green) & 2 had zero cash reserves (red). undocs.org/a/73/809
9/ As of late March 2019, this UN report undocs.org/a/73/809 says outstanding contributions to active @UNpeacekeeping ops = $1.7 billion. This means the UN🇺🇳 has been "effectively borrowing for prolonged periods from troop- and police-contributing countries."
10/ Hopefully* this will stop the myth that developing states contribute to @UNPeacekeeping just to make money.
* Of course it won't!
But here's a great @JPR_journal article showing the "#peacekeeping for profit" narrative is wrong. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…
* Of course it won't!
But here's a great @JPR_journal article showing the "#peacekeeping for profit" narrative is wrong. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…
11/ So all UN🇺🇳 members should pay their @UNPeacekeeping contributions in full & on time, right? Well, since 1994 the US🇺🇸 Congress said "no." 🇺🇸 will only pay 25% of the bill, not its assessed rate of c.28%. For details on the "cap" see my @CFR_org report cfr.org/report/enhanci…
12/ The UN🇺🇳 puts it like this: "The overall level of unpaid peacekeeping contributions is also affected by the decision of one Member State [🇺🇸] to contribute at a level approximately 3 per cent below its applicable rate of assessment." undocs.org/a/73/809
13/ So @UNPeacekeeping arrears
a) means T/PCCs don't get reimbursed;
b) creates a financial impediment to attracting T/PCCs, esp. poorer countries; &
c) the UN🇺🇳 must use cash from future budget periods. undocs.org/a/73/809
a) means T/PCCs don't get reimbursed;
b) creates a financial impediment to attracting T/PCCs, esp. poorer countries; &
c) the UN🇺🇳 must use cash from future budget periods. undocs.org/a/73/809
14/ So what should the UN🇺🇳 do?
Assuming it can't persuade all its Members to pay in full & on time, and it can't persuade Trump/🇺🇸 Congress to pay their full assessed rate, this report undocs.org/a/73/809 suggests 4 options...
Assuming it can't persuade all its Members to pay in full & on time, and it can't persuade Trump/🇺🇸 Congress to pay their full assessed rate, this report undocs.org/a/73/809 suggests 4 options...
15/ Option 1: "the cash balances of all active peacekeeping operations should be managed as a pool, while maintaining the balances in separate funds for each mission, by allowing cash loans across active peacekeeping operations."
16/ Option 2: #Peacekeeping assessment letters sent from the UN🇺🇳 to Member States should be issued for the full budget period approved by the General Assembly and not only until the next mandate renewal (as is currently the case).
17/ Option 3: Create a new #Peacekeeping Working Capital Fund of $250m to provide liquidity for active @UNPeacekeeping ops to complement the Peacekeeping Reserve Fund, which will continue to be used for the start-up or expansion of a mission.
18/ Option 4: As with the regular UN🇺🇳 budget, the General Assembly should temporarily suspend the obligation of the Secretariat to return the unexpended portions of #peacekeeping budgets.
19/ So when Nikki Haley was gloating about cutting @UNPeacekeeping funds, who was she hurting? Ans. Populations helped by #peacekeepers; the major T/PCCs inc. #India #Pakistan #Ethiopia #Rwanda #Bangladesh #Nepal; and the UN.
20/ Despite their faults & limitations, @UNPeacekeeping ops are one of our best collective mechanisms for managing armed conflict. I hope this thread helps spread the word about the UN's current crisis & why we need to fix it. 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇳
21/ Maybe there's a story in here somewhere? @HayesBrown @geoffreyyork @HarunMaruf @robynkriel1 @samueloakford @mary_harper @dandrezner @ddale8 @columlynch @carolemlandry @MarkLGoldberg @mbesheer @SamanthaJPower
22/ Update: I think it may be a bit late (see above) but here's a new @ipinst report on "Financing @UNPeacekeeping: Avoiding another Crisis" by Wasim Mir ipinst.org/2019/04/financ…
