From: WIKIPEDIA Encyclopedia 2008

UNITED NATIONS BUDGET: $3.16 billion

The UN system is financed in two ways: assessed and voluntary contributions from member states. The regular two-year budgets of the UN and its specialized agencies are funded by assessments of $1.9 billion. The General Assembly approves the regular budget and determines the assessment for each member. This is broadly based on the relative capacity of each country to pay, as measured by national income statistics, along with other factors.

The Assembly has established that there is a 'ceiling' rate, setting the maximum amount any member is assessed for the regular budget. In December 2000, the Assembly revised the scale of assessments to reflect current global circumstances.

As part of that revision, the regular budget ceiling was 22%. The USA is the only member that meets that ceiling.

Other major contributors to the regular UN budget for 2001 are Japan (19.63%), Germany (9.82%), France (6.50%), the UK (5.57%), Italy (5.09%), Canada (2.57%), Spain (2.53%), and Brazil (2.39%).

China contributes only 1.2% while Russia 1.1%.

Yet, according to Japanπs reform plan, which has also drawn opposition from Beijing and Moscow, a minimum rate of 3 percent to 5 percent of the U.N. budget should be met by the five permanent members of the Security Council.

Special UN programs not included in the regular budget (such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, and WFP) are financed by voluntary contributions from member governments. Some of this is in the form of agricultural commodities donated for afflicted populations, but the majority is financial contributions.