The World - News from June 17, 1988

Unless member states pay their dues, the United Nations will have to cease operations by the end of October or early November, Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar has warned delegates. In private meetings held with the organization’s five regional groups, he told their representatives that, as of May 31, the world body was owed $690.9 million in unpaid dues, including $319 million for years before 1988. He noted that the largest contributor, the United States--assessed 25% of the U.N. budget--is the biggest debtor. It has paid none of its $215-million share of the 1988 budget and owes about $252 million in back dues.