PNG govt trying to settle outstanding UN membership fees

4:07 pm on 6 November 2023
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Photo: 123RF

The Papua New Guinea government has paid the debt it owed in outstanding rentals for its offices at the United Nations in New York.

Last month, the Post Courier reported that the government was trying to find money to pay for outstanding rent to avoid a lawsuit.

The country's Treasurer Ian Ling Stuckey confirmed to the newspaper that PNG owed US$262,000 in outstanding rent.

He also said they needed to find another US$700,00 to pay outstanding membership fees to the UN to cover unpaid charges going back more than ten years.

These are fees for voluntary contributions, budget assessments and peacekeeping charges.

The outstanding bills have in the past seen PNG, as one of the eight nations among the 193 members, to have their voting rights at the United Nations suspended.

Stuckey had indicated that these debts would be cleared and that there would be an allocation in the upcoming budget to cover the outstanding bills accumulated by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

PNG's Ambassador in New York confirmed to Post Courier that the outstanding rental had been settled but did not comment on the UN membership fees.

According to the newspaper, the Treasury office said authorities were working on settling the outstanding membership fees to the UN.

The PNG foreign service has struggled for years to meet financial obligations, with instances when ambassadors have had to pay staff wages out of their own pocket.