CEVAP:

The lack of financial sources constitutes one of the weakest aspect of the UN, which mainly results from the inadequate funding of the programs and activities by the member states. The UN budget is mainly financed by the mandatory and voluntary contributions of its member states based on their gross national income (GNI). Various UN programs and funds are financially supported through voluntary contributions. While the IMF and World Bank are mostly self-funding, other specialized agencies are funded partly through assessments and partly through voluntary contributions.

In fact, a small number of countries shoulder the financial burden of the UN. Only 14 states pay 85% of the total membership fees. Due to the principle that the UN should not be overly dependent on any one member, there is a ceiling rate that sets the maximum amount of payment that a single member can make.

Particularly the UN programs and funds remain financially vulnerable, due to their overrelianceon contributions from donor countries. On the one hand, the level of authority and capacity of these institutions are very limited because of their financial dependency. On the other hand, the UN and its affiliated agencies are expected to address a variety of global problems from civil wars to poverty reduction. Although the UN is subject to widespread criticism, its performance largely depends on global conditions and power politics between the major powers and other non-governmental bodies. Unlike national governments, the UN can neither have its own financial resources nor impose any tax. However, because the world has become relatively interdependent and global problems now require global solutions, states are expected to address these challenges and supply resources collectively (Bhargava, 2006).