3 African countries lose voting rights in UN
Three African countries, including Sudan, Congo, Guinea, have lost their right to vote in the United Nations because their debt to the organization has grown, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told members of the General Assembly on Tuesday evening. Eight countries, including Iran, lose voting rights in UN
In total, “eleven Member States are currently in arrears in the payment of their contributions under Article 19 of the United Nations Charter,” the UN chief clarified in a letter received by the French news agency AFP. The article provides that a country’s voting rights in the General Assembly are suspended when its arrears are equal to or greater than its contribution for the past two years.
Suppose the arrears are due to “circumstances beyond the country’s will”. In that case, a country can retain its voting rights, which is the case this year for the Comoros, Sao Tome-en-Principe, and Somalia, Antonio Guterres specifies.
In addition to Iran, Sudan, and Venezuela, five other countries lost their right to vote, most notably Antigua-and-Barbuda, Congo-Brazaville, Guinea, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu, the secretary-general added.
He specifies the minimum amount each country must pay to regain its voting rights. For example, Iran has to pay more than 18 million dollars, Sudan almost 300,000 dollars, and Venezuela about 40 million dollars.
