“Consistently paid its UN assessments in full, on time”: India urges member states to meet financial obligations
New York : Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, Surendra Adhana, on Monday (local time) said that India has consistently paid its assessed contributions to the United Nations in full, on time and often in advance, while urging member states to fulfil their financial obligations amid concerns over the organisation’s liquidity situation and mounting arrears.
Adhana delivered India’s statement at the 81st Main Session of the United Nations General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on the agenda item ‘Improving the financial situation of the United Nations’. In a post on X on Monday (local time), the Indian mission said Adhana highlighted India’s record of timely payments and stressed that member states must meet their financial commitments to ensure the effective functioning of the world body.
“Full, timely and unconditional payment of assessments is a Charter obligation of every Member State,” the post stated.
In his statement, Adhana said India aligned itself with the statement delivered by Uruguay on behalf of the Group of 77. He also thanked Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance Catherine Pollard and UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan for their presentations on October 7 and 9, respectively, and the updates provided to member states.
Adhana expressed concern over the UN’s liquidity situation in 2026, which he said remained challenging due to uncertainties in collections and low cash balances. “We note with concern that the liquidity situation in 2026 remained challenging due to the collection uncertainties and low cash balance. The respite resulting from the strong collection in the third quarter needs to be sustained,” he said.
He also welcomed the increase in the number of member states that had paid their assessments in full by September 30, with 141 countries meeting their obligations, compared with 136 in the previous year. On the regular budget, Adhana noted that unpaid assessments had declined to USD 1.46 billion from USD 1.87 billion a year earlier. However, he cautioned that the outstanding amount remained unacceptably high.
“Over 90 per cent of the regular budget arrears are owed by one member state,” he said. Highlighting the situation in UN peacekeeping, Adhana said unpaid assessments had risen to USD 4.1 billion from USD 3.7 billion in the previous year, while collections stagnated at around USD 1.4 billion.
“Two member states alone account for roughly 88 per cent of this amount,” he said. He further pointed out that arrears relating to UN tribunals had increased to USD 87 million, with two member states accounting for more than 80 per cent of the outstanding amount.
As a troop-contributing country, India also called for the settlement of pending payments linked to peacekeeping operations. “As a troop-contributing country, we welcome that troop- and contingent-owned equipment claims for active missions are now settled. We urge that the remaining 30 million dollars for closed missions are settled promptly,” Adhana said.
He stressed that efficient mandate delivery depended on the provision of adequate and timely resources to the UN Secretariat to carry out its responsibilities. In his concluding remarks, Adhana urged all member states, particularly those with the requisite financial means, to take immediate action to meet their obligations.
“In conclusion, Mr Chair, we urge all member states, especially those with requisite means, to take expeditious action to fulfil their financial obligations,” he said. Adhana said meeting these obligations was essential to maintaining the financial health of the United Nations and ensuring prudent budgetary management. “This is critical to ensuring a financially healthy and sound United Nations with zero indebtedness. It is an integral part of our common quest for prudent budgetary and financial management of the organisation,” he added.
