The Dag Hammarskjöld Library’s Digitization Unit is pleased to announce that the Committee on Contribution’s monthly status reports from 1950-1993, are now available online. The reports detail the status of contributions by each Member State to the regular budget of the United Nations over the years, and give insight into the ranking and status of payments.

Under Article 17 of the Charter of the United Nations, Member States have the obligation to bear the expenses of the Organization as apportioned by the General Assembly.  The Committee on Contributions, which was established on 13 February 1946 under resolution 14 (I) A,  advises the General Assembly on payable contributions on the underlying principle of a country’s capacity to pay.

As a technical body, the Committee recommends the scale of assessments for each Member State’s contribution on verifiable data submitted by the State. In addition, the Committee advises on new Member’s assessments and on appeals by Member States requesting a change of their proportional dues.

The historical monthly status reports for the decades starting in 1950 can be found in the United Nations Digital Library under the symbols: ST/AFS/SER.B and ST/ADM/SER.B and in the Official Documents System. The Committee also produces annual reports, which are considered by the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly at its main session.

The Committee meets in New York once a year in a closed session. No meeting records or press releases are issued, however, the Committee keeps an Honor Roll on their website listing all Member States that have paid their budget assessment in full for the current cycle.

Other digitzed series include: