Reform of the United Nations Many of the functions and responsibilities of the United Nations have occurred under difficult circumstances. For example, the delegation of revenue to its ramifications and the standard of “who” will retain a seat on the security council are two of the main issues. First, the financing of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations, the UN itself and the approximately 9,000 staff members (40% of whom are professional level) with the “Regular Budget” is an issue that continues to pose a serious threat to the continuation of the UN for two reasons: some of the largest industrial countries, such as the United States and Russia, have withheld a portion of their estimated contribution due to their dissatisfaction with some aspects of the UN administration. There is also concern that because all members must pay in U.S. dollars earned exclusively through trade, the United States is indirectly causing many developing nations to fall behind in payments. Second, the struggle just to maintain one of the two-year seats on the advisory board has been a major concern. A desire for a permanent seat on the scientific committee has been expressed by many other countries. The European Union (EU) stated on April 9, 1996 that it firmly believes that the United States should not take anything from the United Nations because it is not contributing what it should. Many third world nations, such as Indonesia and Chile, are frightened by attempts to cut the UN budget. Most countries believe that Japan deserves a permanent seat on the Security Council. The United Nations proposed the elimination of 70 United Nations information centers around the world on May 13, 1996. , with the supporting argument that with our current information highways these centers are becoming antiquated. Nations such as Indonesia and Chile argue that such cuts are unfair to those who have not been given the "technological gift." The nation of Japan is going against what would normally be expected of us. We are not following the trail left by the United States in the ongoing fight for UN financial reform. Instead, we believe that everyone should pay their own assessment. Japan also believes that it is imperative that Japan receives a permanent seat on the advisory committee, because it is the second largest