The United Nations could run out of money within months unless member states urgently settle their unpaid bills, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday, describing the organisation’s financial situation as increasingly unsustainable.
Guterres said long-standing budget shortfalls, driven by late or incomplete payments from member countries, have forced the UN into hiring freezes and spending cuts, threatening its ability to function.
Unpaid Contributions Fuel Growing Deficit
In a letter to member states, Guterres said the UN is facing a stark choice: countries must either pay their mandatory contributions in full and on time, or agree to major changes to the organisation’s financial rules to avoid collapse.
By the end of 2025, unpaid contributions had reached about $1.6 billion—more than double the amount recorded a year earlier—even though more than 150 countries had already paid their dues.
“The current trajectory is untenable,” Guterres wrote, warning that the organisation is now exposed to serious structural financial risk.
US Funding Cuts Add Pressure
The warning comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has reduced funding to several UN agencies and delayed or rejected some mandatory payments. Trump has frequently questioned the relevance of the UN and criticised its priorities, while also launching his own “Board of Peace,” which critics view as a potential rival to the global body.
At the same time, deep divisions between the United States, Russia and China—each holding veto power on the Security Council—have left the UN’s most powerful body largely paralysed on major global issues.
Risk of Running Out of Cash by July
Compounding the problem, the UN is required to reimburse member states for unspent funds, even when the money is no longer available. Guterres described the situation as a “Kafkaesque cycle,” saying the organisation is expected to return cash that does not exist.
Unless collections improve dramatically, the UN will not be able to fully implement its 2026 budget, approved last December. Based on past trends, Guterres warned that the UN’s regular budget could be exhausted by July.
In his final annual address this month before stepping down in 2026, Guterres painted a bleak picture of the global landscape, citing deep geopolitical divisions, repeated violations of international law and sweeping cuts to development and humanitarian aid—an apparent reference to sharp funding reductions under the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda.
