New York: Europe and the Arabs 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged member states to pay their dues, warning that the organization faces the risk of bankruptcy and could run out of funds by July.

According to Guterres, the UN faces chronic budget problems because some member states do not pay their mandatory contributions in full, while others do not pay on time, forcing it to freeze hiring and reduce staff. This was reported in the UN Daily News.

In a letter, Secretary-General Guterres wrote: "Either all member states meet their obligations to pay in full and on time, or they must radically reform our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse."

The UN chief's warning also comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has cut funding to some UN agencies in recent months and refused or postponed some mandatory contributions.

Trump has frequently questioned the importance of the UN and attacked its priorities. Tensions between the United States, Russia, and China—all permanent members with veto power on the Security Council, the UN’s highest decision-making body—have paralyzed the council.

This month, Trump launched a “peace council,” which critics say is intended to rival the United Nations.

It’s indefensible.

Although more than 150 member states have paid their dues, the UN ended 2025 with $1.6 billion in unpaid contributions—more than double the amount for 2024.

Meanwhile, the UN also faces a related problem: it must reimburse member states for unspent funds, Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for Guterres, told a press conference.

The Secretary-General himself highlighted this issue, writing in the letter: “We are caught in a Kafkaesque cycle, where we are expected to reimburse funds that do not exist.” Guterres wrote: “The practical reality is stark: unless collections improve dramatically, we cannot fully implement the 2026 program budget approved in December,” adding, “Even worse, based on historical trends, the regular budget could run out of cash by July.”

Guterres, whose term ends at the end of 2026, delivered his final annual address this month, outlining his priorities for the coming year. He said the world is being torn apart by “self-defeating geopolitical divisions and flagrant violations of international law.”

He also criticized “wholesale cuts in development and humanitarian assistance”—a clear reference to the massive budget cuts to UN agencies implemented by the United States under the Trump administration’s “America First” policies.