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Statement by Mr. Katsuhiko Imada
Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
Agenda Item 138:
Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations
Main Part of the Seventy-First Session of the Fifth Committee
29 September 2016

 

 

Madam Chair,

 

To begin, I wish to express my appreciation to Mr. Bernardo Greiver, Chairman of the Committee on Contributions, for introducing the committee’s report, and also to Mr. Lionel Berridge, Chief of Contributions and Policy Coordination Service, for presenting the Secretary-General’s report on the multi-year payment plans.

 

Madam Chair,

 

As one of the major financial contributors to the United Nations, Japan attaches great importance to the scale of assessments. Japan has paid its dues faithfully, despite economic and financial difficulties that we continue to face at home.

 

My delegation is of the view that we should respect and maintain the basic principle that each Member State of the United Nations should pay its assessed contribution according to its “capacity to pay.”

 

Madam Chair,

 

Taking the changing world economic situation fully into account, we have to find a methodology that better reflects each Member State’s real and current capacity to pay in a more equitable way, based on the most current, comprehensive and comparable data available. My delegation would like to actively participate in the coming negotiation process so that we may reach a consensus on how to maintain the future sustainability of the Organization.

 

As for the application of Article 19 of the United Nations Charter, my delegation endorses the recommendations of the Committee on Contributions regarding the exemptions to its application; at the same time encourage those Member States under application of Article 19 to consider submitting multi-year payment plans.

 

I thank you, Madam Chair