Scale of Assessments for the Apportionment of the Expenses of the United Nations

A/RES/54/237DView PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 125 Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations, published in 2000.

What else is in this group?

116 documents · 1948–2024

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2024).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2024	A/RES/79/249	Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations	1,658	–
2022	A/RES/76/238	Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations	1,645	–
2019	A/RES/73/271	Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations	1,624	–
2016	A/RES/70/245	Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations	1,683	–
2013	A/RES/67/238	Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations	1,744	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 subjects

Commodity Prices National Accounts Questionnaires Refugee-Receiving Countries Report Preparation Statistical Methodology

What’s in this document?

108 operative paragraphs

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²For resolutions 54/237 A to C, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 49 (A/54/49), vol. I, sect. VI.

I

Reaffirms the obligation of all Member States to bear the expenses of the United Nations, as apportioned by the General Assembly, in conformity with Article 17 of the Charter of the United Nations;

Also reaffirms the fundamental principle that the expenses of the Organization should be apportioned among Member States, broadly according to capacity to pay, as established in rule 160 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that Permanent Missions are furnished in good time with copies of the national accounts questionnaire to enable them to provide for the appropriate follow-up;

Requests the Committee on Contributions to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session twelve proposals for a scale of assessments for the period 2001-2003 as follows:

A proposal based on the methodology used in preparing the scale of assessments for 2000, including the phasing out of the scheme of limits in accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolutions 48/223 B of 23 December 1993 and 52/215 A;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Data on gross national product;

A statistical base period of six years;

iii

Conversion rates based on market exchange rates, except where that would cause excessive fluctuations and distortions in the income of some Member States, when price-adjusted rates of exchange or other appropriate conversion rates should be employed, taking due account of General Assembly resolution 46/221 B of 20 December 1991;

Debt burden adjustment based on the total debt stock;

A low per capita income adjustment with a threshold per capita income limit of the average world per capita income for the statistical base period and a sliding gradient;

Redistribution of the adjustment to all Member States, consistent with the practice before 1979;

vii

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent;

viii

A maximum assessment rate of 25 per cent;

A maximum assessment rate for the least developed countries of 0.01 per cent;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Estimates of gross national product;

A statistical base period of six years;

iii

Conversion rates as recommended by the Committee on Contributions, and as earlier spelled out in General Assembly resolution 46/221 B;

Debt burden adjustment based on the total debt stock;

A low per capita income adjustment with a per capita income limit of the current threshold used by the World Bank for high-income countries (9,361 United States dollars) and a gradient of 80 per cent;

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent;

vii

A ceiling rate of 25 per cent;

viii

Individual rates of assessment for the least developed countries, not to exceed the current level of 0.01 per cent;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Gross national product as the base;

A statistical base period of three years, with automatic annual recalculation;

iii

Debt burden adjustment based on actual principal repayments (debt flow);

A two-tiered gradient for relief of Member States with a low per capita income: a gradient of 80 per cent for least developed countries and a gradient of 70 per cent for other Member States with a per capita income below the world average;

To address discontinuity, a phase-in mechanism, that is divided equally over the period 2001-2003, for the redistribution of points received from the low per capita income adjustment for Member States that cross the threshold from one scale period to the next (example: all other things being equal, if the assessment of a Member State was 1.000 per cent when it was below the threshold, in the next scale period it would increase to 1.067 per cent, 1.134 per cent and 1.200 per cent over three years instead of going directly to 1.200);

vii

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent and a maximum rate for the least developed countries of 0.01 per cent;

viii

A ceiling rate of 25 per cent;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Gross national product as the base;

A statistical base period of three years, with automatic annual recalculation;

iii

Debt burden adjustment based on actual principal repayments (debt flow);

To address discontinuity, a phase-in mechanism, that is divided equally over the 2001-2003 period, for the redistribution of points received from the low per capita income adjustment for Member States that cross the threshold from one scale period to the next (example: all other things being equal, if the assessment of a Member State was 1.000 per cent when it was below the threshold, in the next scale period it would increase to 1.067 per cent, 1.134 per cent and 1.200 per cent over three years instead of going directly to 1.200);

vii

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent and a maximum rate for the least developed countries of 0.01 per cent;

viii

A ceiling rate of 20 per cent;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Estimates of gross national product;

A statistical base period of six years;

iii

Conversion rates as recommended by the Committee on Contributions, and as earlier spelled out in General Assembly resolution 46/221 B;

Debt burden adjustment based on the total debt stock;

A low per capita income adjustment with a threshold per capita income limit of the average world per capita income for the statistical base period and a gradient of 80 per cent, without discrimination among Member States;

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent and no ceiling;

vii

A maximum assessment rate for the least developed countries, not to exceed the current level of 0.01 per cent;

viii

To limit to 25 per cent, for developing countries previously benefiting from its application, the effect of the end of the scheme of limits on an annual basis for the first four years of the post-transition period;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Use of gross national product data as a first approximation of capacity to pay;

A statistical base period of three years, with automatic annual recalculation;

iii

No debt burden adjustments;

A low per capita income adjustment with a threshold per capita income limit of the average world per capita income for the statistical base period and a gradient of 75 per cent;

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent;

vii

A maximum assessment rate of 25 per cent;

viii

A maximum assessment rate for the least developed countries of 0.01 per cent;

No scheme of limits;

A proposal to include the elements and criteria in subparagraphs (i) to (viii) and a response to subparagraph (ix) below:

Estimates of gross national product;

A statistical base period of six years;

iii

Conversion rates as recommended by the Committee on Contributions, and as earlier spelled out in General Assembly resolution 46/221 B;

Debt burden adjustment based on the total debt stock;

A low per capita income adjustment with a threshold per capita income limit of the average world per capita income for the statistical base period and a gradient of 80 per cent;

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent and a maximum assessment rate of 25 per cent;

vii

A maximum assessment rate for the least developed countries not to exceed the current level of 0.01 per cent;

viii

To examine the long-term implications of the present criteria for determining the threshold of the low per capita income adjustment, and to recommend possible alternatives with a view to maintaining in the long run the overall benefit for all developing countries and to avoiding the continuous exclusion of middle-income developing countries from the benefit of the adjustment;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Data on gross national product as a first approximation of capacity to pay;

A constant statistical base period of three years;

iii

Debt burden adjustment based on actual principal payments;

A low per capita income adjustment with a threshold per capita income limit of the average world per capita income for the statistical base period and gradients based on the gross national product share of each eligible country as follows:

a. A gradient of 70 per cent for countries with a gross national product share of less than 1 per cent;

b. A gradient of 40 per cent for countries with a gross national product share of 1 per cent or more but less than 3 per cent;

c. A gradient of 10 per cent for countries with a gross national product share of 3 per cent or more;

Non-eligibility of the States permanent members of the Security Council for a low per capita income adjustment;

vii

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent;

viii

A maximum assessment rate of 25 per cent;

A maximum assessment rate for the least developed countries of 0.01 per cent;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

The methodology used in preparing the scale of assessments for 2000, including the phasing out of the scheme of limits in accordance with the provisions of General Assembly resolutions 48/223 B and 52/215 A, except for the provisions in subparagraph (ii) below;

A maximum assessment rate of 22 per cent, with the points arising from the reduction of the maximum assessment rate from 25 per cent to be distributed only among Member States other than members of the Group of 77 and China;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Data on gross national product;

A statistical base period of three years;

iii

Debt burden adjustment based on actual principal payments;

a. A gradient of 80 per cent for countries with a gross national product share of less than 1 per cent;

b. A gradient of 50 per cent for countries with a gross national product share of 1 per cent or more;

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent;

vii

A maximum assessment rate of 22 per cent;

viii

A maximum assessment rate for the least developed countries of 0.01 per cent;

A proposal to include the following elements and criteria:

Data on gross national product;

A statistical base period of three years;

iii

A low per capita income adjustment with a threshold per capita income limit of the average world per capita income for the statistical base period and a gradient of 70 per cent;

A minimum assessment rate of 2.5 per cent for the States permanent members of the Security Council;

A minimum assessment rate of 0.001 per cent;

vii

A maximum assessment rate of 22 per cent;

viii

A maximum assessment rate for the least developed countries of 0.01 per cent;

II

Requests the Committee on Contributions, in the context of and with a view to improving the current methodology, to examine and report to the General Assembly the consequences of the sharply depressed levels of primary commodity prices in the international markets on commodity-dependent economies, and also the impact on those countries whose economies have the burden of hosting refugees;

Also requests the Committee on Contributions:

To follow up on paragraph 30 of its report2 and to provide suggestions to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on how to address the combined effects of the loss of the low per capita income adjustment and having to contribute to the adjustment for Member States still below the threshold;

To provide suggestions to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on how to deal with the effect of discontinuity experienced by Member States moving up through the low per capita income threshold and by Member States just above the threshold;

To examine the long-term implications of the present criteria for determining the threshold of the low per capita income adjustment and to report on possible alternatives to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session;

Welcomes the agreement of the Committee on Contributions to consider more systematic criteria for and approaches to deciding when market exchange rates should be replaced for the purposes of preparing the scale of assessments, and looks forward to further reports.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What else is in this group?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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Table of contents

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