A/RES/56/500 Recalling further Security Council resolution 1031 (1995) of 15 December 1995, in which the Council decided to terminate the mandate of the United Nations Protection Force on the date on which the Secretary-General reported that the transfer of authority from the United Nations Protection Force to the Implementation Force had taken place, Recalling the letter dated 1 February 1996 from the President of the Security Council to the Secretary-General 3 informing him of the Council’s concurrence in principle that the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force should become an independent mission, Recalling also General Assembly resolution 46/233 of 19 March 1992 on the financing of the United Nations Protection Force and its subsequent resolutions and decisions thereon, the latest of which was resolution 55/265 of 14 June 2001, Reaffirming that the costs of the combined Forces are expenses of the Organization to be borne by Member States in accordance with Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling its previous decisions regarding the fact that, in order to meet the expenditures caused by the combined Forces, a different procedure is required from that applied to meet expenditures of the regular budget of the United Nations, Taking into account the fact that the economically more developed countries are in a position to make relatively larger contributions and that the economically less developed countries have a relatively limited capacity to contribute towards such operations, Bearing in mind the special responsibilities of the States permanent members of the Security Council, as indicated in General Assembly resolution 1874 (S-IV) of 27 June 1963, in the financing of such operations, Noting with appreciation that voluntary contributions have been made to the combined Forces by certain Governments, Mindful of the fact that it is essential to provide the combined Forces with the necessary financial resources to enable them to meet their outstanding liabilities, 1. Takes note of the status of contributions to the combined Forces as at 30 April 2002, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of 204 million United States dollars, representing some 4 per cent of the total assessed contributions, notes with concern that only one hundred and four Member States have paid their assessed contributions in full, and urges all other Member States, in particular those in arrears, to ensure payment of their outstanding assessed contributions; 2. Expresses its appreciation to those Member States which have paid their assessed contributions in full; 3. Expresses concern at the financial situation with regard to peacekeeping activities, in particular as regards the reimbursements to troop contributors that bear additional burdens owing to overdue payments by Member States of their assessments; _______________ 3 2 S/1996/76.