Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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December 1, 2025 UN
The UN Secretary-General warned on Monday that chronic delays in Member States' contributions to the Organization's budget, totaling nearly $1.6 billion, are undermining the UN's ability to function effectively – even despite deep cuts already built into next year's budget plan.
Speaking at a meeting of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, which deals with the budget of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres said the UN is facing its most precarious financial situation in years.
"Liquidity remains fragile and this problem will persist regardless of the final budget amount," the UN chief stressed, pointing to the "unsustainable level of debt" of member states.
Unpaid fees
The UN ended 2024 with $760 million in unpaid contributions, most of which remains outstanding, and has yet to receive $877 million in contributions due for 2025. This brings the total outstanding amount to approximately $1.586 billion.
With less than five weeks left in the year, only 145 of the 193 UN member states have paid their dues in full for 2025. Several key contributors, including the United States, have yet to make their payments, while China paid the full amount on October 29. Russia is also among those still outstanding. "I have repeatedly called on Member States to pay their dues in full and on time," the Secretary-General said.
The cuts are already included in the budget.
The UN chief's warning comes amid discussions of revised estimates for the UN's regular budget for 2026, which already reflect deep structural cuts as part of the UN80 reform, an initiative aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs.
According to the revised proposal, the UN regular budget for 2026 will be $3.238 billion, a decrease of $577 million (15.1 percent) from the 2025 level. A total of 2,681 posts are planned to be reduced, representing 18.8 percent of the current level.
Special political missions will also face a reduction of more than 21 percent compared to 2025 levels, primarily due to mission closures and staff streamlining.
Consolidation of functions and transfer of workstations
To save money, the UN plans to consolidate payroll processing into a single global system and establish common administrative centers in New York and Bangkok.
The Secretariat is also reviewing a list of functions that could be relocated to lower-cost regions. Since 2017, terminating leases in New York has already saved the UN $126 million, with an additional $24.5 million per year expected by 2028.
Reaction of delegations
The revised estimates have been reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and are under discussion in the Fifth Committee ahead of final budget approval by the end of the year.
Advisory Committee Chair Juliana Gaspar-Ruas noted that the committee welcomed the reforms, but cautioned that the revised estimates were prepared under a tight timeframe, which limited the opportunity to carefully assess the justification for some of the cuts.
Member States supported the Secretary-General's efforts to present revised estimates, acknowledged liquidity challenges, and expressed support for a stronger and more flexible UN. However, several delegations expressed concern about the tight deadlines and late submission of key documents, which hinders thorough review.
Some diplomats warned that the proposed cuts would hit junior and support staff harder than senior positions, threatening geographic balance and staff turnover.
Others noted that the cuts appeared uneven across the UN's main areas of work, with the largest cuts occurring in development programmes.
The Secretary-General acknowledged this concern, assuring: “Our commitment to development is absolutely fundamental, as is our commitment to the African continent.”
The UN budget must be finally approved by the General Assembly before the end of this year.
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