The UN chief has told member states that the organisation is at risk of “imminent financial collapse”, citing unpaid fees and a budget rule that forces the global body to return unspent money, a letter seen by Reuters yesterday showed.
The US has slashed voluntary funding to UN agencies and refused to make mandatory payments to its regular and peacekeeping budgets. US President Donald Trump has described the UN as having “great potential” but said it is not fulfilling that, and he has launched a Board of Peace which some fear could undermine the older international body.
Founded in 1945, the UN has 193 member states and works to maintain international peace and security, promote human rights, foster social and economic development, and co-ordinate humanitarian aid.
In his letter, Guterres said “decisions not to honour assessed contributions that finance a significant share of the approved regular budget have now been formally announced.”
He did not say which state or states he was referring to, and a UN spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Under UN rules, contributions depend on the size of the economy of each member state. The US accounts for 22 per cent of the core budget followed by China with 20pc.
But by the end of 2025 there was a record $1.57 billion in outstanding dues, Guterres said, without naming them.
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