Resolution A.842(20)

ARREARS OF CONTRIBUTIONS

(Adopted on 26 November 1997)

THE ASSEMBLY,

RECALLING Article 55(b) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization which provides that the Assembly shall apportion the expenses of the Organization in accordance with a scale to be fixed by it after consideration of the proposals of the Council thereon,

RECALLING ALSO Article 56 of the Convention which states that any Member which fails to discharge its financial obligation to the Organization within one year from the date on which it is due shall have no vote in the Assembly, the Council, the Maritime Safety Committee, the Legal Committee, the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the Technical Co-operation Committee or the Facilitation Committee unless the Assembly, at its discretion, waives this provision,

RECALLING ALSO the provision of rule 56bis of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, under which any Member wishing to request a waiver of the provision of Article 56 in respect of itself shall submit a written application to the Secretary-General giving reasons therefor, with a payment schedule indicating the timescale over which arrears will be paid,

RECALLING ALSO the provision of rule 56ter of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, which states that any Member seeking election to the Council shall have discharged its financial obligations to the Organization or shall have committed itself to a schedule submitted to the Secretary-General so to do,

RECALLING FURTHER regulation 5.4 of the Financial Regulations of the Organization, under which contributions are considered as due and payable in full within thirty days of receipt of the notice of assessment issued by the Secretary-General or as of the first day of the calendar year to which they relate, whichever is the later,

WELCOMING the Secretary-General's continuous efforts to secure timely payment from Member States,

NOTING that it is in the interests of all Member States to expedite payment of contributions in order that the Organization can focus