11 Countries Deprived of Voting Rights at the United Nations, Including 3 Arab Nations

The United Nations has suspended the voting rights of eleven countries in the General Assembly due to their failure to pay annual dues as prescribed by Article 19 of the UN Charter. Article 19 states that if a UN member is in arrears in the payment of its contributions, it loses its voting rights in the General Assembly. According to a UN statement, the dues owed by the affected countries have not been paid for the previous two years, 2021 and 2020. The list of countries deprived of voting rights includes Antigua and Barbuda, Comoros, Congo, Guinea, Iran, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Sudan, Vanuatu, and Venezuela. The UN statement shows that Iran's dues exceed 18 million dollars, while Sudan's dues are nearly 300,000 dollars, Somalia's dues are about 1.5 million dollars, and Comoros has dues estimated at over 412,000 dollars. However, the decision allowed three countries—Comoros, Somalia, and Sao Tome and Principe—to vote until the end of the 76th session of the UN. It is noted that the UN relies on funding from member countries that pay their annual dues or donations from countries to UN institutions.