AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would like to join other delegations in thanking Under-Secretary-General for Management Ms. Jan Beagle for her presentation last week and for her statement and updates made here today. The United States Government takes its international obligations very seriously.

To clarify the information that has been presented today and cited by various delegations, I would like to highlight again that the amount reflected by the United Nations as owed by the United States is distorted because of the differences in U.S. and UN fiscal years and other factors. To suggest we are not meeting our obligations is patently false. To date this year, we have contributed $1.4 billion to UN peacekeeping operations, $151 million to the UN regular budget, and will be providing an additional $200 million later this month. Overall the United States, as the largest contributor to the UN, contributes $10 billion annually in assessed and voluntary contributions across the United Nations system.

The United States remains committed to the United Nations and its vital role in the world to maintain peace and security, provide development and humanitarian assistance and promote human rights.

For those Member States that want to use this briefing to make political points, we would like to remind all that the actions of the Cuban regime are what are truly having an impact on the Cuban people and its ability to fulfill its financial obligations. Recent actions in this building also do not comport to a responsible contributor that takes care of the resources entrusted to all Member States and respects the use of this space for constructive dialogue. It further highlights the Cuban regime’s efforts to distract the international community from the treatment of its own people and the underlying reason for the blockade and embargo in the first place, which is the Cuban government’s continued repression of its people and failure to meet the requirements of a free and just society.

Thank you, Madam Chair.