Zimbabwe has had its voting rights at the United Nations General Assembly suspended over the country’s mounting arrears on its financial obligations to the global body, APA learnt here on Sunday.
Online news agency Newzimbabwe.com said Zimbabwe is one of 10 countries whose voting rights have been withdrawn due to the outstanding contributions to the UN.
The southern African country is believed to owe the inter-governmental organisation more than US$81,000 in unpaid annual contributions.
“At present, 10 Member States are in arrears under the terms of Article 19 of the Charter of the United Nations, which states: A Member of the United Nations is arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the Organisation shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears or exceeds the amount of the contribution due from it for the preceding two full years,” the news agency quoted a letter written by UN secretary general Antonio Guterres to UN President Volkan Bozkir on January 13.
It continues: “The General Assembly may, nevertheless, permit such a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member.”
No comment was available from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The news comes as Zimbabwe has been struggling to meet the costs of maintaining its various embassies across the world.
JN/APA