New York – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the international organization is facing its worst financial situation in years, after the value of unpaid dues from member states approached 1.6 billion dollars.
He told the Fifth Committee of the UN General Assembly, which deals with financial affairs, that the chronic delay by member states in paying their due payments to the United Nations budget hinders the organization’s ability to operate.
According to the UN News website, by the end of 2024, the amount of unpaid dues reached 760 million dollars, most of which has not been paid yet. The United Nations has also not received 877 million dollars in contributions due for 2025, bringing the total arrears to about 1.586 billion dollars. With less than five weeks remaining until the end of the year, only 145 out of 193 countries have paid their 2025 contributions in full.
The Secretary-General’s warning comes as member states are considering the revised estimates for the United Nations regular budget for 2026, which reflect significant structural reductions under the “UN 80” reform initiative, aimed at enhancing system-wide efficiency, modernizing operations, and reducing costs.
Under the revised proposal, the UN’s regular budget for 2026 will amount to 3.238 billion dollars, a decrease of 577 million dollars, or 15.1%, compared to 2025. Approximately 2,681 jobs will be eliminated, representing 18.8% of the current year’s total, and special political missions will face cuts of over 21% compared to 2025 levels.
The United Nations also plans to consolidate the payroll processing into a single global team distributed across three duty stations, and to establish shared administrative centers starting in New York and Bangkok.
The UN Secretariat is conducting a review of posts that can be moved to lower-cost locations. The plan includes one-time termination and relocation costs of 5.4 million dollars, with voluntary departure programs being used to limit involuntary job losses.
