The Club PUBlication 01/02/2026

U.N. says it’s facing financial collapse because of unpaid dues
By FARNAZ FASSIHI The New York Times

​ NEW YORK - The United Nations said that it was facing imminent financial collapse and would run out of money by July if countries, namely the United States, did not pay their annual dues that amount to billions of dollars.

Senior U.N. offi cials said that if the cash ran out, the agency would be forced to shut down its landmark headquarters in New York by August. The U.N. Security Council, a 15-member body responsible for maintaining international peace and stability, convenes its meetings at U.N. headquarters.

It would also have to cancel the annual General Assembly gathering of world leaders held in September and shut the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which responds to global emergencies like conflicts and natural disasters, it said Friday.

The U.N. secretary-general, António Guterres, sent a letter to the ambassadors of all 196 member states Thursday warning them of "imminent financial collapse," saying the organization's financial straits this time were different from those in any previous periods, according to a copy of the letter seen by the New York Times.

"The crisis is deepening, threatening program delivery and risking financial collapse," Guterres wrote. "And the situation will further deteriorate in the near future. I cannot overstate the urgency of the situation we now face."

On Dec. 30, the General Assembly authorized $3.45 billion for the United Nations' 2026 budget, covering the organization's three core pillars of work: peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.

The United States is responsible for about 95% of the money owed to the United Nations, about $2.2 billion, according to a senior U.N. official who briefed reporters on the agency's budget crisis.

That amount is a combination of the U.S. annual dues for 2025, which has not been paid, and for 2026, the U.N. official said.

As for comment, the U.S. mission to the United Nations referred questions to the State Department, which did not immediately respond.

Annual U.N. dues are mandatory and set according to a country's gross domestic product.

President Donald Trump, citing mismanagement, waste and redundancy, withdrew the United States in early January from dozens of international organizations, including several U.N. agencies like the Population Fund. Trump had already pulled the country out of UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency; the World Health Organization; and the U.N. Human Rights Council. And he said the United States would reduce funding for peacekeeping operations.

In addition to its annual dues, the United States also owes the United Nations about $1.9 billion for active peacekeeping missions, $528 million for closed missions and $43.6 million for tribunals such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, said the senior U.N. offi cial in the briefing.

The United States has indicated to the United Nations that it would make a payment of about $160 million for active peacekeeping but would not pay for the tribunals, the senior U.N. offi cial said. Peacekeeping missions have been instructed to reduce their budgets by 15%, the U.N. official said.
​
Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the United Nations, said that if the United Nations shut down in July, humanitarian work around the world would also be affected and the work of civilian staff hampered. Agencies such as UNICEF, which handles children's issues; the U.N. Refugee Agency; and the World Food Program have budgets separate from donations and would continue to operate. But the U.N. agency that coordinates relief work across agencies would close.