UN Secretary-Normal Antonio Guterres has warned of an “imminent monetary collapse” as a result of unpaid member charges and a price range rule requiring unspent funds to be returned.
| Photograph Credit score:
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
U.N.
Secretary-Normal Antonio Guterres is sounding the alarm on U.N.
funds, warning that the world physique is liable to “imminent
monetary collapse” as a result of unpaid charges and a price range rule that
forces it to return unspent funds.
Guterres has repeatedly spoken in regards to the U.N.’s worsening
liquidity disaster however this was his starkest warning but, and it
got here as america, its major contributor – and debtor –
is retreating from multilateralism on quite a few fronts.
Listed below are some questions and solutions about U.N. funds:
HOW MUCH IS OWED TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND BY WHOM?
In a letter to member states final week, Guterres stated there
was a document $1.57 billion in excellent dues for the U.N.’s
common price range, with out naming the nations that owed them.
U.N. officers say greater than 95 % of what’s owed to
the common U.N. price range is owed by america – $2.19
billion by the beginning of February. The U.S. additionally owes one other
$2.4 billion for present and previous peace-keeping missions and
$43.6 million for U.N. tribunals.
On December 30, the U.N. Normal Meeting accepted $3.45
billion for the common U.N. price range for 2026, following weeks of
negotiations. This covers prices of operating U.N. workplaces round
the world, together with the headquarters in New York, employees
salaries, conferences and improvement and human rights work.
U.N. officers say the U.S. didn’t pay into the common
price range final 12 months and owes $827 million for that, in addition to $767
million for 2026. Subsequent in line had been Venezuela and Mexico, owing
$38 million and $20 million respectively.
Contributions rely on economic system measurement. The U.S. accounts for
22% of the common price range, adopted by China with 20%. Charges are
formally due by Feb. 8 and up to now 41 states have paid for
2026, a U.N. doc confirmed.
WHAT IS GUTERRES ASKING MEMBER STATES TO DO?
With out naming america, U.N. spokesperson Stephane
Dujarric stated this week the U.N’s “cash-flow drawback” might be
solved “if member states, who’ve an obligation to pay, pay.”
The crunch comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump
has launched a Board of Peace with himself as lifetime chair,
which some concern might undermine the United Nations, a physique with
193 member states fashioned within the ashes of World Warfare Two that
works to keep up worldwide peace and safety.
Underneath Trump, in addition to refusing to make obligatory funds
to the U.N.’s common and peacekeeping budgets, the U.S. has
slashed voluntary funding to U.N. companies with their very own
budgets, and moved to exit U.N. organizations together with the
World Well being Group. In December, the U.N. appealed for a
2026 assist price range solely half the dimensions of what it had hoped for in
2025, acknowledging a plunge in donor funding at a time when
humanitarian wants have by no means been higher.
Guterres launched a reform process drive final 12 months, UN80,
looking for to chop prices and enhance effectivity. The accepted 2026
common price range is roughly $200 million increased than he proposed,
however about 7 per cent decrease than the accepted 2025 price range.
Guterres warned in his letter that the U.N. might run out of
money by July and cited a “Kafkaesque” requirement for it to
credit score again a whole bunch of tens of millions of {dollars} in unspent dues to
states every year even when it by no means acquired the cash. U.N.
officers hope to overtake this “weird” rule, which Guterres
has known as “a race to chapter.”
WHAT HAS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAID?
Talking to Politico on Sunday, Trump solid himself because the
savior of the U.N. however declined to say if the U.S. would pay up.
In response to Politico, Trump stated he was unaware the U.S.
was behind in its commitments however was positive he might “clear up the
drawback very simply” and get different international locations to pay — if solely
the U.N. would ask.
The White Home and State Division didn’t reply when
requested if the U.S. pays, or if Trump meant that different
international locations ought to put up the cash as an alternative.
A senior State Division official did although say that “the
U.N. must get again to fundamentals” and accused it of losing
cash.
“We have now little interest in persevering with to spend American tax
{dollars} on such waste, fraud and abuse,” the official stated.
“The U.N. continues to pay its employees way over for
comparable U.S. authorities positions, present unacceptable
advantages and pensions, and enhance the variety of high-level
bureaucrats in New York – up over 30% – within the final two years
alone. The U.N. additionally spent $340 million simply on conferences and
conferences final 12 months.”
In response to a draft U.N. price range doc seen by Reuters in
September, U.N. cost-savings plans for subsequent 12 months envisaged far
smaller cuts to senior employees than to decrease ranks.
It confirmed simply two of 58 division head posts within the layer
of under-secretaries-general beneath Guterres, or 3%, would go,
in comparison with round 19% throughout the board and as much as 28% for one
lower-ranking class, in response to Reuters calculations.
A U.N. official stated Guterres aimed to ship on reform
whereas limiting the affect of cutbacks. If the U.S. didn’t pay,
“on the finish of the day, conferences cannot be organized, work’s not
carried out, employees just isn’t being paid,” the official stated.
“In contrast to a authorities, we won’t borrow cash and we won’t
print cash.”
Revealed on February 4, 2026
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