We fully endorse the statement by the State of Palestine on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We appreciate the Secretary-General's initiative to seek solutions to the critical financial situation of the Organization.
Cuba, like so many other countries, has warned for years about the risks that unpaid assessments owed to the United Nations entail to the Organization.
Our responsibility as members of this Organization is clear, to confirm this, we just need to read the UN Charter, whose article 17 does not give rise to interpretations.
It is not about how much more a State pays as a whole to the United Nations. It is not about that many countries have the willingness to donate large extra-budgetary amounts to several areas of the United Nations. It is a question of financing the Organization in its essence, paying on time, without conditions and in full, the debts owed to the regular budget and to the peacekeeping operations budget.
The majority of the members in recent years has striven to pay their contributions on time, in full and without conditions. We call for always taking into account the cases of those developing countries going through special situations that prevent them from honoring their financial commitments beyond their political will.
The Secretary-General has stated that although all Member States pay their debts in full and on time, the serious financial situation of the Organization will not be solved, and therefore, the modification of the budget methodology should be considered.
However, one wonders what would happen if the main contributor to the organization paid all its debts, or at least those owed until January 2019, about 1,174 million dollars. Clearly, the current deficit would be covered and the mandates granted to the Secretariat by us, the Member States, would not be breached.
We recognize the difficult situation of the Organization and its personnel. In order to reach consensus, we have approved increasingly smaller budgets, therefore, asking you, Mr. Secretary-General and the Organization, to do more with less.
We are close to negotiating an annual budget, a commitment framed among the Member States and the Organization, and from which we all expect a more precise budgeting and a better use of our contributions.
At the same time, we emphasize that any proposal seeking to modify the budgetary methodology and the financial architecture of the Organization should be subject to a careful analysis.
Our delegation believes that for this analysis the respect for the mandates granted to the United Nations and full compliance with them without prioritizing some over others should be a priority.
Cuba, as part of the Group of 77 and China and as a small island developing state, will await with interest the proposals of the Secretary-General at the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, so that they can be discussed and negotiated in accordance with the Charter and with the established rules and procedures.