United Nations Dues and Audits

Larry P. Arnn’s “America Is Not a Cow to Be Milked” (Commentary, May 1) is riddled with confusion and misstatements of facts.

The first concerns the question of U.S. arrears to the United Nations. Annual assessed payments to the United Nations are neither an expression of generosity nor are they deductible from other payments a country may choose to make. They are legal membership dues, agreed to by all member states, including the United States, and based primarily on the respective economic strengths of countries. The United States’ share is 25%. No membership organization would survive for long if members decided for themselves which other expenditures they wished to subtract from their regular membership dues.

Arnn is flat wrong on another important claim: that the United Nations “has never been properly audited.” In fact, the United Nations is regularly audited by the supreme audit institutions of three member states, selected in rotation by the General Assembly. At present, this function is served by Ghana, India and the United Kingdom. In addition, since 1994 an Office of International Oversight Services has provided comprehensive internal audit coverage.

Finally, it is totally incorrect to state that the U.N. is seeking to “gain a power of taxation independent of its member nations.” There is no such proposal currently under consideration anywhere in the U.N.

JOE SILLS, Director

U.N. Information Centre

Washington