The UN's approved budget for 2021 is $3.231 billion

The United Nations has listed South Sudan among ten countries that have not paid their annual contributions for two years.

According to a letter by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on January 13 to the President of UN General Assembly, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Iran, Libya and five other countries did not pay their contributions since 2019.

In the letter seen by Eye Radio, South Sudan owes the body $22,804.

However, when contacted, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Deng Dau, Deng, said South Sudan wired the money but has been turned back due to international sanctions.

“The money was wired on the 14th December 2020. You know we have sanctions problem. So, the money was wired and the corresponding bank returned the money to the bank [of South Sudan],” Dau told Eye Radio on Tuesday.

#SouthSudan is among member states that are in arrears in the payment of financial contributions to #UN pic.twitter.com/Zr4qSIrPSz

— Eye Radio (@EyeRadioJuba) January 19, 2021

In 2015, the UNSC decided to impose sanctions in relation to South Sudan in view of the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation, including ongoing human rights violations and abuses.

In July 2018, it imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan in response to ongoing hostilities and peace agreement violations.

South Sudan is also prohibited to directly or indirectly make an asset available to (or for the benefit of) a designated person or entity.

According to Article 19 of the UN Charter, a member which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the organization shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years.

South Sudan has yet to pay three regional bodies its annual contribution fees.

In 2020, some legislators in the regional East African Legislative Assembly threatened to suspend South Sudan over nonpayment of $27.8 million accumulated contributions.