The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) has debarred Iran, Venezuela, Sudan, Antigua and Barbuda, Congo, Guinea, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu from voting for non-payment of dues and debt to the organization, DW reports.
A total of 11 countries are indebted to the UN. Iran blames US sanctions for lack of funds.
Why were countries debarred from voting?
According to the UN charter, if a country's debt equals or exceeds the amount that should have been paid over the preceding two years, it loses its voting. If the outstanding debt is deemed to have incurred "due to conditions beyond the control of the country", then it may be allowed to vote. In 2022, this applies to the Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, and Somalia.
Venezuela's minimum payment to regain its voting rights is about $40 million, Iran must pay just over $18 million, and Sudan must pay almost $300,000. Each of the other five countries must make a minimum payment of less than $75,000 to regain its vote.
What Ukraine benefits from this
Iran, Venezuela, and Sudan regularly support Russia during voting. Consequently, due to this decision, the aggressor country loses several allies in the UN General Assembly.
For example, in December 2016, when the UN General Assembly approved a resolution condemning Russia's occupation of the Crimean peninsula, a number of countries voted against it. Iran, Venezuela, and Sudan were among them.
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