Iran, Central African Republic lose voting rights in UN General Assembly

Iran and the Central African Republic have been deprived of the right to vote in the UN General Assembly for failure to pay regular contributions to the organization’s budget for two years, reads a letter sent by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Chairman of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir, Report informs referring to foreign media.

Under Article 19 of the Charter of the United Nations, a Member State in arrears in the payment of its dues in an amount that equals or exceeds the contributions due for two preceding years can lose its vote in the General Assembly, according to the report.

Apart from Iran and the Central African Republic, Comoros, Somalia, and Sao Tome and Principe didn’t pay membership fees, either. However, the letter of the UN Secretary-General emphasizes that these three states will retain the right to vote in the General Assembly until the end of its 75th session.

Contributions to the UN regular budget are based on the country’s average GDP over ten years, taking into account per capita income and external debt. The General Assembly may allow a UN member state to participate in the vote if it recognizes that the delay in payment has occurred due to circumstances beyond its control.

Also, the right to vote is automatically returned to the country that has eliminated the debt. According to the secretary general’s letter, to restore the right to vote, Iran needs to contribute $16,251,298 to the organization’s budget and the CAR - $29,395.