Guterres warns UN faces ‘imminent financial collapse’

UN main Antonio Guterres calls connected subordinate states to code unpaid dues and overhaul satellite body’s fiscal rules.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the United Nations faces “imminent fiscal collapse” amid unpaid yearly dues and different issues.

Al Jazeera connected Friday reviewed a missive Guterres sent to each UN subordinate states earlier this week, informing them that the planetary assemblage faced a sedate fiscal crisis.

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The missive urged subordinate states to hold to overhaul the UN’s fiscal rules oregon judge “the precise existent imaginable of the fiscal illness of our Organization” and called connected them to wage their yearly dues.

While Guterres did not blasted a circumstantial state for the UN’s fiscal troubles, his entreaty comes arsenic United States President Donald Trump has moved to slash Washington’s backing for multilateral institutions.

Trump, whose medication announced plans this month to retreat from respective UN agencies, besides precocious launched his alleged “Board of Peace” initiative, which immoderate experts person said aims to sideline the UN.

“Trump’s committee appears to beryllium a benignant of pay-to-play, planetary club, judging from the $1 cardinal interest for imperishable membership,” Louis Charbonneau, the UN manager astatine Human Rights Watch, recently warned.

“Instead of handing Trump $1 cardinal checks, governments should enactment unneurotic to support the UN and different institutions established to uphold planetary quality rights and humanitarian law, the planetary regularisation of law, and accountability,” Charbonneau said.

The yearly dues UN subordinate states indispensable wage are acceptable according to each country’s gross home merchandise (GDP), indebtedness and different factors.

The US accounts for 22 percent of the halfway budget, followed by China with 20 percent.

But by the extremity of 2025 determination was a grounds $1.57bn successful outstanding dues, Guterres said, without naming the countries that had not paid.

“Either each Member States honour their obligations to wage successful afloat and connected clip – oregon Member States indispensable fundamentally overhaul our fiscal rules to forestall an imminent fiscal collapse,” helium said.

In aboriginal January, the UN approved a $3.45bn budget for 2026 – down 7 percent from past year, arsenic the planetary assemblage looked to trim costs amid its fiscal challenges.

Still, Guterres warned successful the missive that the organisation could tally retired of currency by July.

One of the problems is simply a regularisation present seen arsenic antiquated, whereby the planetary assemblage has to recognition backmost hundreds of millions of dollars successful unspent dues to states each year.

“In different words, we are trapped successful a Kafkaesque rhythm expected to springiness backmost currency that does not exist,” Guterres said successful the letter.

As of Thursday, lone 36 of the 193 UN subordinate states had afloat paid their regular 2026 contributions, the UN says connected its website.