Tonga yesterday paid the United Nations a minimum call of USD$16,444.00 on arrears, after losing its right to vote in the United Nations on 7 January because of accumulated unpaid dues.

Edgar Cocker, the Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs told Matangi Tonga Online today that the payment was authorised by government on 13 November 2019. He said the failure to make the payment was “because the person responsible was away overseas”. He said it was paid yesterday.

However, annual dues to the United Nations fall due on 1 February every year, and Tonga is at least two years behind in its payments.

The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres declared on January 7 that Tonga was among seven countries that had lost their voting privileges in the 193-member General Assembly because they were too far behind in paying dues.

He listed the amount of USD $16,444 as the minimum payment necessary for Tonga to reduce the amount it owed on their contributions so that they “remain below the gross amount assessed for the preceding two full years (2018 and 2019).”

The total amount owed to the United Nations by Tonga was not stated, but in 2019 Tonga was expected to pay a Net contribution of USD $27,883. Assuming that 2018 was a similar amount, then Tonga's debt must be at least USD $72,210.

Edgar did not elaborate on the full amount that Tonga owes to the UN or how many years the arrears go back, or how Tonga planned to pay the balance of its dues.

2020 dues

Meanwhile, other countries started to pay their 2020 dues this month, and are expected to pay their regular budget assessments in full within the 30 day due period specified in UN Financial Regulation 3.5 (by 1 February 2020).

This year Tonga will incur dues of around USD $30,000 (.001 percent of the USD $3.07 billion budget for the year 2020.)

It is expected that Tonga will not be allowed to vote during the remainder of the UN's 74th session, which ends in September. The UN contributions committee meets in June to assess countries contributions and payments. Article 19 of the Charter of the United Nations states that a member of UN which is in arrears shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years.

In 2018 only Libya, which is regarded as a failed state, was unable to vote because of arrears.