UN faces severe cash crisis as Trump admin ramps up pressure on world body

As the Trump medication slashes backing and exits aggregate planetary bodies implicit disapproval that the U.N. has failed to beforehand U.S. interests, the United Nations is informing it could look a currency situation by July. 

In a Jan. 28 missive from U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to ambassadors, helium cited grounds unpaid dues and rigid fund rules that person near the enactment exposed.

Guterres said the U.N. is trapped successful a "Kafkaesque cycle" successful which rigid fund rules unit it to instrumentality "unspent" funds adjacent erstwhile those contributions were ne'er paid. He said outstanding dues reached a grounds $1.568 cardinal astatine the extremity of 2025 and that collections covered lone 76.7% of assessed contributions, leaving the enactment dangerously exposed.

Unless collections "drastically improve," the secretary-general warned, the U.N. volition not beryllium capable to afloat instrumentality its 2026 fund and could look a liquidity situation by mid-year.

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President Donald Trump (L) meets with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres during the 80th league of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) astatine the United Nations office connected September 23, 2025 successful New York City. World leaders convened for the 80th Session of UNGA, with this year’s taxable for the yearly planetary gathering being "Better together: 80 years and much for peace, improvement and quality rights."  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A elder diplomatic root told Fox News Digital that the secretary-general himself bears important work for the deepening crisis, arguing that informing signs had been disposable agelong earlier the existent shortfall.

According to the source, large contributors had been pressing for ratio and betterment for years, yet meaningful enactment was delayed. When reforms were yet introduced, the root said, they were applied broadly alternatively than done targeted cuts successful areas wherever existent savings were possible, harming adjacent U.N. bodies considered cardinal to the organization’s mission. "He is going to spell down arsenic the worst secretary-general successful the past of the U.N.," the root said.

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The informing from Guterres comes arsenic the United States, the satellite body’s largest contributor, has chopped voluntary backing to aggregate U.N. programs and declined to marque immoderate required payments, deepening the currency crunch described successful the secretary-general’s letter.

A Security Council gathering connected the concern successful Sudan, connected July 13, 2023, astatine United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Broader U.S. overseas assistance cuts nether the Trump administration’s overseas argumentation realignment. In January 2026, the United States formally withdrew from the World Health Organization and began exiting dozens of planetary bodies, including aggregate UN entities, citing misalignment with American priorities.

The backing compression has already forced the United Nations to tighten spending crossed respective agencies. Separate Reuters reporting shows that U.N. bodies, including the World Food Programme and exile agencies, are preparing layoffs and programme reductions arsenic wide contributions autumn to the lowest level successful a decade.

Hugh Dugan, erstwhile National Security Council peculiar adjunct to the president and elder manager for planetary enactment affairs, told Fox News Digital that the existent turmoil reflects long-standing structural weaknesses alternatively than a abrupt collapse.

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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks astir the Israel and Hamas ceasefire woody extracurricular the Security Council astatine the United Nations Headquarters successful New York City, Jan. 15, 2025.  (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

"We’ve heard this before," Dugan told Fox News Digital, referring to repeated warnings from U.N. enactment implicit currency shortfalls.

Dugan said the enactment has struggled for decades with inconsistent gross and outdated fiscal practices, arguing that alarmist messaging is improbable to reconstruct donor assurance without disposable interior reforms.

He said Guterres, who has astir 11 months remaining successful office, appears focused connected ensuring the instauration does not adjacent connected his watch.

"The doors volition stay open, possibly just, but that’s his legacy," Dugan said.

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A presumption of the United Nations Headquarters gathering successful New York City, United States connected July 16, 2024. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Asked astir President Trump’s recently announced bid board, Dugan said it should not beryllium viewed arsenic a rival to the United Nations oregon a replacement for its charter-based system.

"I don’t spot it arsenic a replacement of the principles of the U.N.," helium said, describing the inaugural arsenic operational alternatively than ideological.

Dugan compared it to past convening efforts specified arsenic the Clinton Global Initiative, saying it focuses connected dealmaking and coordination alternatively than supplanting the planetary order.

US President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) successful New York, US, connected Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (David Dee Delgado/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Despite mounting disapproval of its show and finances, Dugan said the U.N. continues to clasp 1 enduring advantage.

Referring to the yearly U.N. General Assembly debate, Dugan said, "When the U.N. calls a gathering today, it’s regular to person much than 100 heads of authorities successful the room," helium said. "The powerfulness to convene is nary tiny accomplishment."