The following is one of a series of seven fact sheets describing U.S. goals at the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Public Affairs

U.S. PARTICIPATION IN THE UNITED NATIONS FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

U.S. Engagement in the United Nations

The United Nations provides the United States with an international forum where we can enhance national security, advance foreign policy objectives, and promote American values. The United States seeks to uphold the U.N.'s founding principles. We share a commitment to foster international peace and security; to fight poverty through development; to eradicate pandemic diseases; and to advance freedom, human rights, and democracy.

U.S. leadership in the U.N. is critical to making the world more secure, more democratic, and more prosperous. At the same time, the United States is committed to ensuring good stewardship of U.N. resources so these universal goals are met effectively and efficiently.

U.S. Financial Contributions to the United Nations

The United States is the largest financial contributor to the U.N., and has been every year since its creation in 1945. U.S. contributions to the U.N. system in 2003 were well over $3 billion. In-kind contributions include items such as food donations for the World Food Program.

The U.S.-assessed contribution to the U.N. regular budget in 2003 was $341 million, and to U.N. specialized agencies was over $400 million. The United States also contributed $686 million in assessments to the peacekeeping budget; $57 million for the support of the international war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia; and, $6 million for preparatory work relating to the Capital Master Plan to renovate the U.N. Headquarters in New York. Moreover, each year the United States provides a significant amount in voluntary contributions to the U.N. and its affiliated agencies and activities, largely for humanitarian and development programs.

Benefits to Americans

The United States benefits from membership in the U.N. and other international organizations by being part of a multilateral approach to address a wide range of serious global issues. Through the U.N., the United States can build coalitions and pursue multilateral programs that advance U.S. and international interests. U.S. priorities include: countering global terrorism; preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; encouraging nuclear safeguards, arms control, and disarmament; promoting peace in the Middle East and an end to anguish in other regions such as Africa; promoting economic growth; treating those with HIV/AIDS and preventing new HIV infections; and, bringing an end to trafficking in persons. The United Nations provides the forum for the U.S. to address these and other key objectives.

The United States is a generous supporter -- in many cases the largest supporter -- of key U.N. programs. In 2003, the U.S. contributed:

-- 57 percent to the budget of the World Food Program to help feed 104 million people in 81 countries;

-- 17 percent to the budget of the United Nations Children's Fund to feed, vaccinate, educate, and protect children in 158 countries;

-- 14 percent to the core budget of the United Nations Development Program to eradicate poverty and encourage democratic governance; and

-- 33 percent to the budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.