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Caps and discounts on the contribution of LDCs to the United Nations system budgets

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LDCs benefit from caps, discounts and other favourable conditions regarding their mandatory contributions to the budgets of United Nations system entities.  

  • Contributions to the United Nations regular budget is based on a “scale of assessments” (i.e., the percentages of the budget for which each country is responsible) determined by indicators of capacity to pay (GNI, debt-burden and per capita income, among others). LDCs, exclusively, benefit from a maximum rate (currently 0.01 per cent). In practice, the natural assessment rate for most LDCs (i.e. the rate based on the capacity to pay indicators) is below 0.01 per cent.  The budgets of most United Nations agencies are based on the same scale. Budgets of peacekeeping operations and the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals use an adjusted scale (see below). Similar arrangements exist for secretariats of international conventions. In the UNFCCC, no contribution from an LDC can exceed 0.01 per cent of the total, while for other countries the applicable ceiling is 25.00 per cent.
  • A small number of agencies (ITU, WIPO, UPU) operate with "classes of contribution".  The class a country belongs to determines how much the country contributes.  Countries decide which class they will belong to (and therefore how much they will contribute), but only LDCs can opt to contribute at the lowest levels.

The table below summarizes the system adopted by or budget each entity or category of entities, and what happens after graduation.

Contributions to funds and programmes, such as UNICEF and UNDP, are voluntary. Contributions to the WTO are determined based on members’ shares of international trade with no concessions specifically for LDCs.  These are not affected by graduation.

Additionally, some organizations and conventions grant greater flexibility for LDCs in arrears in the payment of their contributions. Under the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, LDCs are exempt from the prohibition of eligibility to the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties and subsidiary bodies for countries in arrears for two years or more. The UPU's General Regulations have special provisions for LDCs and SIDS on the payment of arrears (articles 8 and 9), including the determination that when countries are authorized to benefit from exceptional payment arrangements, at least 50% of the amounts paid are to be earmarked for Union-led postal technical assistance projects aimed at benefitting the country making the payment.  At ICAO, all Member States that are three years or more in arrears in the payment of their contributions need to conclude an agreement with the Organization to settle the balance of their arrears over the course of a maximum of 10 years, but for LDCs and other "special cases" the maximum is 20 years.

 
 

Rules

LDC-specific support

What happens after graduation?

Regular budget (and Working Capital Fund)

A scale of assessments is determined every three years in a resolution of the General Assembly. It is based on capacity to pay, translated into indicators of gross national income (GNI), debt-burden, and per capita income, among others.

Each Member State is assigned a share of the regular budget (its assessment rate).

The minimum assessment rate is 0.001% and the maximum is 22%.

The maximum rate for LDCs is 0.01%.

The 0.01% cap no longer applies after graduation. This could lead to higher contributions by countries that exceed the assessment rate of 0.01% according to the formula applied to determine capacity to pay. It has no impact for those that do not exceed that rate.

The change (when applicable) to the non-LDC rate would be reflected in the first General Assembly resolution on the scale of assessments after the date of graduation (e.g. the scale approved in December 2024 for the period 2025-2027 would still consider a country scheduled for graduation in 2026 an LDC for the entire period.)

Peacekeeping operations

Contribution is based on the scale of assessments for the regular budget (above) adjusted by a premium in the case of permanent members of the Security Council, and by discounts in the case of all countries with per capita gross national product below the Member State average. Member States are grouped into levels based on per capita GNI, with larger discounts applying for the levels of countries with lower incomes.

LDCs are entitled to the greatest discount (90%).

The applicable discount rate for graduated countries with per capita GNI below the average for all member states (most LDCs) would be 80%. The discount rate is reduced progressively for countries with incomes higher than average.

 

United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals

Half of the budget is paid for by Member States based on the regular budget scale of assessments and half in accordance with the rates of assessment applicable to peacekeeping operations.

LDCs benefit from the cap on the rate of assessment of the regular budget and the discount on the rate of assessment for peacekeeping operations.

The amount due by the graduated country will increase proportionally to any increases in the rate of assessment for the regular budget or peacekeeping operations budget.

FAO, ILO, UNESCO, UNIDO, WMO, WHO, CTBTO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, IOM, ISA, ITLOS, OPCW

Contribution is based on the regular budget scale of assessments, in some cases adjusted for more restricted membership by the application of a coefficient.

The maximum rate for LDCs is 0.01%.

UNIDO, one of the entities that adjusts the scale by a coefficient due to more restricted membership, does not apply this coefficient to LDCs whose rate may exceed 0.01%.

The 0.01% cap no longer applies.

For UNIDO, the waiver on the application of the coefficient no longer applies.

WMO has a provision (see Resolution 50(Cg-19) whereby even when there are changes in the United Nations rate of assessment, no Member's contribution should exceed 200% of their contribution in the previous WMO scale).

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Voluntary selection of a class of contribution based on shares or multiples of an annual unit of contribution of CHF 318,000.

Only LDCs can contribute 1/8 or 1/16 of a unit of contribution.

The minimum contribution after graduation is 1/4 of a unit. The ITU Council can authorize a graduated country to continue to contribute at the lowest classes.

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Voluntary selection of classes of contribution, each corresponding to a share of a unit of contribution determined for every biennium.

Only LDCs can contribute at the lowest level (Ster), with 1/32 of a unit of contribution.

Non-LDC developing countries with an assessment rate for the regular budget of less than 0.01% contribute 1/16; non-LDC developing countries with an assessment rate for the regular budget between 0.02% and 0.10% contribute 1/8. Others contribute 1/4 and up.

Universal Postal Union (UPU)

Classes of contribution, each corresponding to a share or multiple of a predetermined unit of contribution, are defined with reference to the most recent scale of assessments adopted by the United Nations. Member states choose their contribution class on the basis of their economic capacity, considering the scale of assessments. The value of the contribution unit is fixed in Swiss francs in accordance with the yearly budget adopted by the Council of Administration.  

Only LDCs can contribute at 0.5 of a unit. SIDS with a population of under 200,000 can contribute with 0.1 of a unit.

Graduated countries (except SIDS) contribute at least 1 full unit of contribution. In exceptional circumstances the Council of Administration may authorize non-LDCs to be placed in the class of 0.5 units temporarily.
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