The United Nations is at risk of imminent financial collapse due to member states not paying their fees, the body's head has warned. António Guterres said the UN faced a financial crisis which was deepening, threatening programme delivery, and that money could run out by July. He wrote in a letter to all 193 member states that they had to honour their mandatory payments or overhaul the organisation's financial rules to avoid collapse.
This alarming situation follows the refusal of the UN's largest contributor, the US, to contribute to its regular and peacekeeping budgets, leading to concerns about the operational capacity of the UN. Several other member states are also in arrears or have declined to pay their dues.
Despite previous moves to amend the UN's financial system, ongoing cash shortages are evident, and the organization is often unable to fund humanitarian operations adequately. Guterres expressed that the current crisis is categorically different from past financial troubles, highlighting that 77% of the total owed was paid in 2025, but a historic amount remains unpaid.
The Secretary-General stressed that the integrity of the UN system hinges on member states meeting their financial obligations. With the UN returning millions of dollars it never actually collected due to structural requirements, urgent action is needed to prevent a total financial breakdown.
This alarming situation follows the refusal of the UN's largest contributor, the US, to contribute to its regular and peacekeeping budgets, leading to concerns about the operational capacity of the UN. Several other member states are also in arrears or have declined to pay their dues.
Despite previous moves to amend the UN's financial system, ongoing cash shortages are evident, and the organization is often unable to fund humanitarian operations adequately. Guterres expressed that the current crisis is categorically different from past financial troubles, highlighting that 77% of the total owed was paid in 2025, but a historic amount remains unpaid.
The Secretary-General stressed that the integrity of the UN system hinges on member states meeting their financial obligations. With the UN returning millions of dollars it never actually collected due to structural requirements, urgent action is needed to prevent a total financial breakdown.
