Unpaid fees and reduced funding could halt the world body’s main operations by mid-2026, Antonio Guterres has warned
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the UN is at risk of running out of cash as unpaid fees and a lack of funding from member states threaten to disrupt key operations.
Guterres issued the warning in a letter to all 193 member states this week, as cited by a number of media outlets. He urged either compliance with mandatory payments or an overhaul of the organization’s financial rules to prevent it “The Impending Financial Collapse.” The Secretary-General said the UN was facing a financial crisis that was “deepening, threatening program delivery,” with cash that may be running low by July.
Letter described on “double whammy” created by a rule that forces the UN to return unspent funds for specific programs to member states even if contributions have never been paid, trapping the organization in what Guterres calls “The Kafka Cycle.”
Outstanding dues reached a record $1,568 billion at the end of 2025, with collections covering only 76.7% of assessed contributions, leaving the organization dangerously exposed. So if the collections “Drastically improved,” The UN will not be able to fully implement its 2026 budget, Guterres said.
The warning comes as the US, the world’s biggest contributor, has cut voluntary funding for several UN programs and cut aid spending in 2025. President Donald Trump said the move was intended “end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas above US priorities.” Last week, the US officially withdrew from the UN World Health Organization.
In late December, the US pledged $2 billion to UN humanitarian programs, warning the international organization that it must “Adapt or die.” U.N. statistics show that total U.S. humanitarian contributions fell to $3.38 billion last year, or about 14.8% of the global total, a sharp decline from $14.1 billion in 2024 and a peak of $17.2 billion in 2022. Other leading Western donors, including Germany and the United Kingdom, have also cut aid as they shifted resources to military spending, causing a severe financial crisis.
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Trump has also been accused of seeking to replace some UN functions with his own Peace Council to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
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