UNITED NATIONS, Oct 16. The United States made a payment of over 500 million dollars to the United Nations which has put the world body on its best financial health in recent years, UN’s top budget official said on Monday.

“This is not a report that features doom and gloom — it’s a report that features good news,” Joseph Connor, the Under- Secretary-General for Administration and Management, told a press conference.

He said member states were expected to contribute more to the UN in regular dues than in any prior year — amounting to 4,716 million dollars, compared with 2,893 million dollars last year.

The US was expected to pay 1,666 million dollars, including 625 million dollars paid last Friday.

With legislative directives in place, “payment of sizable amounts from the United States to the United Nations is at hand,” said Connor.