WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 105th Session Provisional agenda item 7.4 EB105/22 18 January 2000
Status of collection of assessed contributions, including Members in arrears to an extent which would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution Report by the Director-General
1. In order that WHO may deliver the approved programme budget in full, contributions from Member States must be received in full and on time. Payments are due as of 1 January for the year to which they relate. Low annual rates of collection have been of serious concern to successive Executive Boards and Health Assemblies. 2. In 1999 the rate of collection was 85%, the highest rate for the last 14 years and a considerable improvement over 78% in 1998 (see Annex 1, Figure 1). Annex 2 lists all Member States, the amount due from each, and period over which it has become due. 3. As at 31 December 1999, 114 Member States (59%) had paid in full; a further 24 Members (12%) had paid in part (see Annex 1, Figure 2). This is a considerable improvement compared with 1998. The number of Members which had made no payment is at its lowest in percentage terms for the past 10 years. 4. Unpaid contributions include amounts that are due as at 31 December each year, and amounts due under special arrangements authorized by the Health Assembly but which may be paid in the future under an instalment scheme. On 31 December 1999 a total of US$ 164.8 million (39% of the regular budget for 1999) was owing from Member States, including US$ 7.6 million due under special arrangements referred to above (see Annex 2, Sections 2 and 3). The equivalent figure at 31 December 1998 was US$ 185.9 million (44% of the regular budget). 5. Despite the improvement in 1999, programme activities could not be fulfilled without significant recourse to internal borrowing and the Working Capital Fund. The continuing high amount due for earlier years continues to inhibit efficient management and reform in WHO. 6. However, payments received in advance for 2000 are 119% higher than for 1999 (see Annex 2, Section 4). Sixteen Members have paid their contributions in full for 2000, whereas only five did so for 1999. A further four countries paid in full on 1 January 2000 as a result of a credit from Casual Income. 7. Article 7 of the Constitution states that “If a Member fails to meet its financial obligations to the Organization … the Health Assembly may … suspend the voting privileges to which a Member is entitled”.
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8. In accordance with previous Health Assembly resolutions, the voting privileges of the 23 Member States listed in Annex 3 have been suspended, the suspension to continue at the Fifty-third and subsequent Health Assemblies until the arrears have been reduced to a level below the amount which would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution. As at 31 December 1999, none of these Member States had yet made payments that would result in the restoration of their voting privileges. 9. Pursuant to the adoption by the Fifty-second World Health Assembly of resolutions WHA52.3 and WHA52.4, with the required two-thirds majority, the voting privileges of Liberia and Guinea respectively will be suspended as from the opening of the Fifty-third World Health Assembly on 15 May 2000 if at that time these Members are still in arrears in the payment of their contributions to an extent which would justify invoking Article 7 of the Constitution. 10. Nine other Members are in arrears in the payment of their contributions in amounts which equal or exceed the amounts due from them for the preceding two full years, as listed in Annex 3. 11. Pursuant to resolution WHA41.7, unless there are exceptional circumstances justifying a different measure, the Fifty-third World Health Assembly will adopt a decision under which the voting rights of these Members will be suspended as from the opening day of the Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly in May 2001, if at that time the Members concerned are still in arrears to the extent referred to in paragraph 10 above. 12. An analysis of all Members subject to Article 7 is shown in Annex 4. The Director-General will report further to the Administration, Budget and Finance Committee of the Executive Board on the nine Members referred to in paragraph 10 immediately before the opening of the Fifty-third World Health Assembly so that the Committee can formulate recommendations to the Health Assembly based on the provision of resolution WHA41.7 and the status of the arrears at that time. 13. The Director-General will continue to increase efforts to collect the unpaid arrears of contributions from the Members concerned.
ACTION BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 14. Having heard the advice of the Administration, Budget and Finance Committee on the status of collection of assessed contributions, the Board may wish to formulate an appropriate resolution to the Health Assembly. 15. No action is required of the Board in respect of those Members whose voting privileges remain suspended under previous Health Assembly resolutions, or of those Members which may lose their voting privileges as from 15 May 2000 under resolutions WHA52.3 and WHA52.4.
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ANNEX 1 Figure 1. Rate of collection of contributions Percentage collected as at 31 December, from 1990 to 1999 % 00 90 80 84 82 78 79 80 78 78 78 85
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 WHO 0010
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Figure 2. Payment status of Member States and Associate Members in respect of current-year contributions to the effective working budget
Number of Members which had paid contributions in full 31 December 1990 31 December 1991 31 December 1992 31 December 1993 31 December 1994 31 December 1995 31 December 1996 31 December 1997 31 December 1998 31 December 1999 93 90 87 95 99 96 102 105 105 114
Number of Members which had paid contributions in part 23 22 27 20 16 13 27 26 25 24
Number of Members which had made no payment 46 50 66 71 72 78 63 61 63 55
Total number of Members and Associate Members 162 162 180 186 187 187 192 192 193 193
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Annex 1
Figure 3. Unpaid contributions due as at 31 December, from 1995 to 1999 US$ in millions 250
200 177
150 93 91 92 65
100
50
61
76
83
88
92
0
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999 WHO 0011
Current year contributions Arrears of contributions
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