Somalia will not be stripped of voting rights at the Un General Assembly despite failing to meet its financial obligations to the global body, A resolution by the General Assembly early this month noted that Somalia, alongside Sao Tome and Principe and Comoros will still retain their voting rights until the end of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly which lapses in December….
The Assembly] decides that the Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe and Somalia shall be permitted to vote in the General Assembly until the end of its seventy-fifth session,” resolution 75/2 signed by Secretary General António Guterres read in part.
Article 19 of the Charter of the United Nations states that a member state in arrears in the payment of its dues in an amount that equals or exceeds the contributions due for two preceding years can lose its vote in the General Assembly.
However, countries which are unable to meet their financial obligations owing to circumstances ‘beyond their control’ can be exempted, To bring its arrears to acceptable minimum, Somalia has to pay the UN body a sum of $1, 443,640, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Niger, Congo, Iran and Central Africa Republic do not qualify for exemption and will therefore lose their vote.
