Certain Expenses of the United Nations (Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Charter)
OVERVIEW OF THE CASE
Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Charter of the United Nations provides that : “The expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the Members as apportioned by the General Assembly.” On 20 December 1961, the General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion on whether the expenditures authorized by it relating to United Nations operations in the Congo and to the operations of the United Nations Emergency Force in the Middle East constituted “expenses of the Organization” within the meaning of this Article of the Charter. The Court, in its Advisory Opinion of 20 July 1962, replied in the affirmative that these expenditures were expenses of the United Nations. The Court pointed out that under Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Charter, the “expenses of the Organization” are the amounts paid out to defray the costs of carrying out the purposes of the Organization. After examining the resolutions authorizing the expenditures in question, the Court concluded that they were so incurred. The Court also analysed the principal arguments which had been advanced against the conclusion that these expenditures should be considered as “expenses of the Organization” and found these arguments to be unfounded.
This overview is provided for information only and in no way involves the responsibility of the Court.