Guterres warned states against financial collapse of the UN

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned member states that the organization faces "imminent financial collapse." He cited unpaid dues and a budget rule that forces the global organization to return unused funds as the reasons for this.

"The crisis is deepening, threatening the implementation of programs and risking financial collapse. And the situation will worsen in the near future," Guterres wrote to ambassadors in a letter obtained by Reuters.

The UN is facing a financial crisis as the world organization's largest contributor, the United States, has reduced its voluntary funding for UN agencies and refused to make mandatory payments to the UN's regular budget and peacekeeping budget.

In his letter, Guterres noted that "decisions not to pay assessed contributions, which finance a significant portion of the approved regular budget, have now been formally notified." It was not immediately clear which country or countries he was referring to.

"Either all member states fulfill their obligations and pay in full and on time, or member states must fundamentally revise their financial rules to prevent imminent financial collapse," he warned, adding that cash could run out by July.

(reuters, max)