The United Nations is at risk of an “imminent financial collapse” because member states are failing to pay their mandatory contributions, its secretary general has warned.
António Guterres said the organisation faced a deepening financial crisis that could leave it without sufficient funds by July, threatening the delivery of key programmes.
In a letter to ambassadors, Mr Guterres said all 193 member states must either honour their legal obligation to pay assessed contributions in full and on time or agree to a fundamental overhaul of the UN’s financial rules.
He said 2025 ended with a record level of unpaid contributions, equivalent to 77% of the total owed.
The warning comes amid decisions by some major contributors not to fund parts of the UN budget. The United States, the organisation’s largest contributor, has refused to pay into the UN’s regular and peacekeeping budgets and has withdrawn from several UN agencies.
President Donald Trump has criticised the UN for failing to fulfil what he called its “great potential” and has described some of its activities as a waste of US taxpayer money.
Mr Guterres said the current crisis was “categorically different” from previous financial difficulties faced by the organisation, noting that decisions not to pay assessed contributions had now been formally announced.
He also criticised a UN rule requiring the organisation to return unspent funds to member states if budgets cannot be implemented, saying it created a “double blow”.
“We cannot execute budgets with uncollected funds, nor return funds we never received,” he wrote.
In late December, the US pledged $2bn (£1.5bn) for UN humanitarian programmes, significantly lower than previous levels. In 2022, US humanitarian contributions were estimated at $17bn.
Mr Guterres has repeatedly warned of worsening financial conditions, describing the situation last year as a “race to bankruptcy”.
He said the integrity of the UN system depended on member states respecting their obligations under the UN Charter, adding that failure to do so could force drastic cuts to operations or structural changes to the organisation.
Source: BBC
