wfn.org | Methodist women press for U.S. payment of U.N. dues

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

July 10, 1998	Contact: Linda Bloom*(212) 870-3803*New York
10-21-71B{410}

By United Methodist News Service

Members of United Methodist Women are pressing Congress to support full
payment of U.S. dues for the United Nations.

A vote on that funding could occur this summer, according to Anna Rhee,
executive secretary for public policy for the Women's Division, United
Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

The vote is particularly important because the United States stands in
danger of losing its vote in the U.N. General Assembly. As of June 15,
the United Nations reported the U.S. debt was about $1.5 billion in dues
and assessments. According to the New York Times, the U.S. government
said it owes a little more than $1 billion.

A recent study by the U.S. General Accounting Office concluded the U.S.
government must pay $211 million to $241 million more than it planned to
pay this year to retain its General Assembly vote in January. 

"Historically, the Methodist Church has been supportive of the U.N.
since its inception," Rhee noted in a July 8 telephone interview. United
Methodist Women understand the institution's crucial role in the world,
particularly in aid to children, she added. "It's important for the
United States to work with other countries in this age of
globalization."

The United States also has a legal obligation to pay its dues. By
withholding the funds, Rhee said, it is "contributing to a really
serious financial crisis" at the United Nations.  

The 1996 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination's top
legislative body, called upon United Methodists to "encourage their
governments to strengthen the U.N. by fulfilling all treaty and
financial obligations, so that it may more effectively relieve the
suffering of millions through better health, protect our planet's
environment, promote human rights and bring about genuine and lasting
peace in the world."

# # #