Hit hard by the financial crisis, fewer countries are contributing to the United Nations budget while the top nine financial donors have all missed the May7 deadline, the chief of UN management said here on Thursday.

"Member states are having a harder time meeting their financial obligations," UN Under-Secretary-general for Management Angela Kane told reporters. "The current global economic and financial crisis may have affected this contributory pattern."

Approximately 94 percent of the 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in outstanding contributions to the UN's regular budget can be attributed to just nine countries including Brazil, China, Germany, Iran, Mexico, Norway, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, since the May 7 deadline Brazil has paid 12.2 million dollars, which reduced its amount due.

The United States has yet to pay just under 1 billion dollars to the regular budget. However, Kane was quick to add that the secretary-general has heard "very encouraging comments" from U.S. President Barack Obama and his administration.

"We have very high expectations that there will be significant pavements being made," she said, "but of course, the devil is in the details."

Speaking to the press on Thursday before his meeting with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon urged the U.S. Congress for their financial support -- the last hurdle before a check is made out to the UN.

"I'm soliciting you again in commitment in providing necessary financial support for peacekeeping operations and also for many developing countries -- the most vulnerable and the poorest people who really need our support and assistance," Ban said.

In total, the U.S. owes a grand 1.96 billion dollars, which includes funds appropriated for the regular budget, international tribunals, peacekeeping operations, and the Capital Master Plan --a 1.8-billion-dollar price tag to renovate the UN headquarters in New York.

Source:Xinhua