The UN owes India $62 million for contribution towards peacekeeping operations including troops and equipment, the top official of the world body said.
As on March 31, 2016, the United Nations owed troop contributing countries a total of $827 million, including $261 million in troop costs and $480 million for equipment for active missions, Under-Secretary-General for Management, Yukio Takasu told reporters here yesterday.
Of this total, he said the UN owed “the largest amount” of $62 million to India, followed by Bangladesh at $59 million, Pakistan at $4 million and Ethiopia at $47 million.
He said money owed to troop contributing nations is “always a source of concern because it is very unfair for them that they provide all the valuable troops, personnel and equipment and they are not reimbursed timely because of financial problems”.
At about 7,695 troops, India is currently the second largest contributor among all UN troop contributors.
Traditionally, India has been among the largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping operations, with nearly 1,80,000 troops having served in over 44 of the 69 peacekeeping operations so far.
The country has repeatedly called for the Security Council to consult troop contributing countries before drawing up peacekeeping mandates given that troops now have to function in increasingly difficult and hostile conflict situations across the world’s hot-spots.
Among the countries that owe the UN money is the US, which has to pay $1.3 billion for peacekeeping and $917 million towards regular budget.
Takasu said the world organization’s financial situation is “sound and positive”, noting, however, that there is “some worry” regarding the areas of regular budget and reserves. “The financial situation of the United Nations is generally sound,” he said.