Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Monday received the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, and followed up on the issue of Lebanon losing its voting rights at the United Nations General Assembly, the state-run National News Agency reported.
On Friday, Lebanon, among other countries, lost its right to vote in the UN General Assembly due to its failure to pay its minimum contribution to the operating budget of the international organization.
Bou Habib said that "the Lebanese mission in New York had previously been informed by the Contributions Office to the United Nations of extending the payment deadline, in which Lebanon would maintain its voting rights until the end of January 2023" and called for "clarifications on the reason for the change that occurred and the suspension of [Lebanon's] voting rights before the expiry of the period referred to above."
Lebanon's assessed contribution for the years 2021/2022 amounts to $1,835,303. Lebanon's Foreign Affairs Ministry on Friday downplayed reports that the country was delayed in paying its contributions to the UN and said in a statement that "the steps for payment have already been initiated."
"After contacts with the head of government and the minister of finance, it turned out that the final payment will be made immediately, which will preserve Lebanon's rights at the UN," the ministry said, without giving a specific date for when the payment would be made.
This is not the first time that Lebanon has found itself in this situation. In 2019 and 2020, and in 2002 and 2003, it also failed to pay its contribution on time.