Is United Nations on brink of collapse? Guterres issues stark warning
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Is United Nations on brink of collapse? Guterres issues stark warning")
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Photograph: (X)
The development comes after the United States, the biggest contributor to the UN, refused to pay its peacekeeping obligations and pulled out from several agencies under the Trump administration.
The United Nations, the world body which has been at the heart of the international framework for interaction between countries post world war 2, is staring at a risk of “imminent financial collapse” owing to member states not paying their monetary obligations, the world body's chief said. "Either all Member States honour their obligations to pay in full and on time – or Member States must fundamentally overhaul our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a letter.
In a letter to all 193 member states, Guterres urged that they had to honour their mandatory financial obligation or reform the existing funding of the United Nations to avoid collapse.
The development comes after the United States, the biggest contributor to the UN, refused to pay its peacekeeping obligations and pulled out from several agencies under the Trump administration, which dubbed these expenses "a waste of taxpayers' dollars." Several other members are in arrears or have simply refused to fulfil their financial obligations.
"The crisis is deepening, threatening programme delivery and risking financial collapse. And the situation will deteriorate further in the near future," Gutteres wrote.
In an attempt to restructure its funding mechanism, the UN General Assembly approved a partial change to its financial system in late 2025, but it proved too short for the organisation, facing a severe cash crisis.
The World body is making a desperate attempt to save cash, such as at its headquarters in Geneva, the escalators are frequently turned off, and heating is kept down; however, these measures proved inadequate.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
Also Read: No death penalty for Luigi Mangione in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case; federal court rules
Under the UN funding structure, the contributions are based on the size of the economy of each member state, making the US the largest contributor at 22 per cent, followed by China at 20 per cent of the core budget.
The UN chief said at the end of last year that a record of $1.57 billion of outstanding payments from member states; however, he didn't name them. He emphasised that the World Bank could run out of cash as early as July this year.
Moreover, Donald Trump has been attempting to create a separate Board of Peace to oversee post war security and rebuilding in Gaza, which critics see as an effort by the US president to undermine the United Nations.
Trump pulled the United Nations from the World Health Organisation last week and refused to pay its 2024 and 2025 obligations. Other bodies under the UN, such as UN Women has to close their mother and baby clinics in Afghanistan.
