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U.N. Facing ‘Imminent Financial Collapse’ Admits Secretary General as Countries Won’t Cough Up Membership Fees

February 3, 2026

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the General Assembly, September 19, 2023, UN photo.

The United Nations is facing an “imminent financial collapse” as member states refuse to cough up billions of dollars in mandatory contributions.

The financial woes were laid out in an emergency letter from Secretary-General António Guterres sent to all 193 member countries.

Guterres said the organisation’s financial crisis is worsening rapidly, threatening the delivery of core programmes and potentially leaving the U.N. bankrupt by July.

He urged member states to either pay what they owe in full or agree to sweeping changes to the UN’s financial rules to avoid collapse.

“Either all member states honour their obligations to pay in full and on time—or member states must fundamentally overhaul our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse,” he wrote.

The warning comes as the United States, the U.N.’s largest contributor, has refused to fund the organisation’s regular and peacekeeping budgets and has withdrawn from multiple UN agencies.

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised the U.N. for wasting taxpayer dollars, appeasing criminal regimes and infringing on the sovereignty of the U.S. and other member nations.

The Case for US Withdrawing from the UN

Several other member states are also in arrears or have declined to pay their assessed contributions.

According to Guterres, only 77 per cent of mandatory payments were received in 2025, leaving a record shortfall.

The UN’s financial strain has been compounded by internal rules requiring it to refund unspent funds, even when the money was never collected in the first place.

As a result, the organisation has been forced to return hundreds of millions of dollars it does not have, including $227 million refunded this month alone.

Signs warning of the crisis have reportedly been posted throughout U.N. offices in Geneva, where cost-cutting measures now include reduced heating and frequently shut-down escalators.

The cash shortage is already affecting operations, with U.N. agencies announcing widespread cuts that have led to the removal of funding in many of the world’s poorest countries.

The Trump administration has said international institutions must “adapt or die”, pledging limited humanitarian funding while cutting broader UN support.

Other major donors, including Britain and Germany, have also reduced foreign aid payments over the past year.

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