Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
October 17, 2025 UN
The United Nations will be on the road to bankruptcy if member states fail to pay their dues on time and in full. Secretary-General António Guterres warned this on Friday, presenting the UN budget for 2026 at $3.238 billion—15.1 percent less than the approved 2025 budget of $3.72 billion.
Speaking to the General Assembly's Fifth Committee, which deals with financial and administrative matters, Guterres described the situation as extremely fragile: high debt, late contributions and the need to "repay loans" threaten to undermine the Organization's liquidity and core operations.
Staff reduction
The revised budget also includes a reduction in staffing levels compared to the original 2026 proposal: from 13,809 positions to 11,594 positions. This represents an 18.8 percent reduction compared to 2025.
The reductions will primarily affect major UN departments and administrative structures, while maintaining programmes that directly serve Member States, particularly least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States, and initiatives supporting Africa's development.
The UN also has a separate budget for peacekeeping operations.
Liquidity crisis
The Secretary-General warned that the effects of the current liquidity crisis will be felt not only next year but also in 2027.
The UN's outstanding contributions reached $760 million at the end of last year. Additionally, the UN must repay $300 million in loans to member states in early 2026.
“Any delays in fundraising early in the year will force us to cut spending further… and could result in a return of $600 million in 2027, which represents about 20 percent of the budget,” Guterres said.
"This means the path to bankruptcy," he added, reiterating the urgent need to reduce debt and suspend loan repayments.
Previous spending curbs provided only temporary relief, the UN chief noted. At the beginning of 2025, the UN budget deficit stood at $135 million. By the end of September, the Organization had received only 66.2 percent of its annual contributions—compared to 78.1 percent for the same period in 2024.
As of the end of September, only 136 of the 193 member states had paid their dues in full. Countries that have not yet paid their dues in full include the United States, China, Russia, and Mexico.
How much do permanent members of the Security Council get paid?
According to the current scale, adopted in December 2024 for 2025–2027, the United States of America’s contributions amount to 22.000 percent of the total budget, China’s – 20.004 percent, the United Kingdom’s – 3.991 percent, France’s – 3.858 percent, and the Russian Federation’s – 2.094 percent.
These countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council and have veto power.
Reflection of financial realities
The revised budget for 2026 reflects both current financial realities and the reforms under the UN80 initiative, which aims to comprehensively reform the Organization.
Proposed measures to improve its efficiency include relocating offices to regions with lower personnel costs, as well as creating common administrative platforms in New York and Bangkok.
Despite the cuts, key priorities remain: 37 special political missions will continue to operate, the UN Peacebuilding Fund will receive $50 million, the UN Resident Coordinator system will receive $53 million, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will expand its regional offices in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Dakar, Panama City, Pretoria, and Vienna.
What's next?
In the coming weeks, the Fifth Committee will discuss the proposed budget with heads of UN Secretariat departments and programme managers.
The committee will then present its report with recommendations to the plenary session of the General Assembly, with final approval of the UN budget expected by the end of December.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.