[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 483 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 483

To authorize appropriations for the payment of United States arrearages 
                         to the United Nations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 21, 1997

  Mr. Leach introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                  Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize appropriations for the payment of United States arrearages 
                         to the United Nations.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The United States played a leading role in the founding 
        of the United Nations in 1945.
            (2) The United Nations, which by charter is dedicated to 
        saving ``succeeding generations from the scourge of war'', 
        continues to promote important interests of the United States 
        in the protection of human rights, the control of weapons of 
        mass destruction, advancing the ideal of democracy, open 
        international trade and investment, the promotion of 
        sustainable development, refugee protection and humanitarian 
        relief, the prevention of global conflict, eradicating disease, 
        and environmental protection.
            (3) The United States remains committed to working to 
        achieve reform and instill greater budget discipline in the 
        United Nations, and to continue the trend toward restructuring 
        and revitalizing that organization.
            (4) Ongoing reform efforts in the United Nations are 
        jeopardized by a serious financial crisis, caused in part by 
        arrearages on payments by member states.
            (5) The United States is the leading debtor to the United 
        Nations, owing more than $1,300,000,000 at the end of 1996 for 
        the regular and peacekeeping operations of the United Nations.
            (6) The assessed share of the United States for the regular 
        budget of the United Nations is just over $320,000,000 for 
        1996, or slightly more than $1 for each citizen of the United 
        States.
            (7) Article 17 of the United Nations Charter states that 
        ``[t]he expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the 
        members as apportioned by the General Assembly'', of which the 
        United States is a member.
            (8) Payment by the United States of its assessment for the 
        regular budget and the peacekeeping operations of the United 
        Nations is a solemn treaty obligation under international law, 
        voluntarily undertaken through the ratification by the United 
        States of the United Nations Charter.
            (9) Efforts to reform and revitalize the United Nations 
        cannot succeed without the political, moral, financial, and 
        material support of the United States.
            (10) United States leadership in an effective United 
        Nations will be seriously jeopardized if the Congress fails to 
        fulfill the financial obligations of the United States to the 
        United Nations in a full and timely manner, consistent with 
        international law and the role of the United States as a 
        founder and leading member of the United Nations.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR ARREARAGES IN ASSESSED 
              CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED NATIONS FOR PRIOR YEARS.

    (a) Authorization.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $376,775,000 for the payment of 
arrearages in assessed contributions of the United States to the United 
Nations (other than contributions for international peacekeeping 
activities) for fiscal years prior to fiscal year 1998.
    (b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) 
are authorized to remain available until expended.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR 
              INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Authorization.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $926,154,000 for the payment of 
arrearages in assessed contributions of the United States for 
international peacekeeping activities of the United Nations for fiscal 
years prior to fiscal year 1998.
    (b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) 
are authorized to remain available until expended.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the United States should maintain its leadership role 
        within a more effective United Nations, and continue to seek to 
        lower the long-term costs associated with the participation of 
        the United States in the United Nations;
            (2) the United States should continue its efforts to 
        persuade other members of the United Nations to support a broad 
        agenda for reform, budgetary discipline, and equitable 
        financial burdensharing at the United Nations; and
            (3) the United States should promptly negotiate a reduction 
        in its assessed contribution for any United Nations 
        peacekeeping operation to an amount not greater than 25 percent 
        of the total amount of all assessed contributions for that 
        operation.
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