External publications

Re-discovering assessed contributions in the UN system: Underexploited, yet full of potential

Weinlich, Silke / Nilima Gulrajani / Sebastian Haug
External Publications (2022)

in: Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (eds.), Financing the UN Development System: Joint Responsibilities in a World of Disarray, Uppsala/ New York: Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, 127-130

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In May 2022, the World Health Organization Member States took the historic decision to increase the share of assessed contributions in the organisation’s regular budget. There are good reasons to assume the increase during the COVID-19 pandemic is a singular measure. On the road to the United Nations (UN) Summit of the Future, however, assessed contributions – which remain an underexploited instrument for collectively funding global tasks – should not be discarded prematurely. Given current global instability and crises, expanding and reforming their usage could help make UN organisations and multilateral action more effective. Equally important in times of geopolitical upheaval, assessed contributions symbolise a commitment to collectively shared responsibility and a belief in multilateral priority setting, as cumbersome as this may be. This contribution discusses the up- and downsides of assessed contributions and formulates recommendations regarding their future usage and operationalisation.