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Lanka pays up UN fees; wins ECOSOC vote
View(s):The Treasury this week paid up USD 1.4 million (USD 1,417,899) to the UN Secretariat as its membership fees in full for 2024.
As of this week, only 113 of the 194 member-states had paid their 2024 fees. Fees are calculated based on the country’s Gross National Product (GNP). The UN’s two largest contributors, the United States and China had yet to pay their fees. India paid USD 32.8 million as its fees.
UN Spokesman Stepahne Dujarric announced Sri Lanka’s contribution at last Friday’s media conference in New York. He said, “I’m going to end on a happy note, at least for us; we got some money today—113 countries have now paid to the regular budget. It comes from a country that boasts a UNESCO World Heritage site called the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and one of the world’s few remaining virgin rainforests, making it a biodiversity hotpsot. It’s also a great place to have black, green or white tea… Sri Lanka. We thank our friends in Colombo’.
Meanwhile, at the UN General Assembly, Sri Lanka was elected to the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) for a three-year term starting January 1 next year. Eighteen (18) countries were elected to the council.
Sri Lanka obtained 182 votes out of the 189 member states present and voting, securing the second-highest vote count from the Asia-Paific region, and the seventh highest number overall. Sri Lanka was previously elected to the ECOSOC from 1985–1989 and from 2006–2008. Uzbekistan topped the list with 185 votes, while Bangladesh (182) and Saudi Arabia (179) were the other member states elected.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry yesterday said, “As a member of the ECOSOC, Sri Lanka will contribute to the Council’s efforts and programmes, which include poverty eradication, food security, financing for development, reform of the international financial architecture to better support vulnerable countries, climate justice, gender equality and women’s empowerment, rights of persons with disabilities, science and technology, and bridging the digital divide.
“The election to the ECOSOC is Sri Lanka’s 4th consecutive success at a multilateral election. This marks a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s diplomatic engagement led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its overseas diplomatic missions.”
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