U.N. Says It Will Run Out of Money by July Without Member Dues

The United Nations warned on Friday that it faces imminent financial collapse and will run out of money by July unless member states, notably the United States, pay billions of dollars in annual dues. The secretary general, António Guterres, sent a letter to ambassadors of all 196 member states on Thursday saying he “cannot overstate the urgency of the situation we now face.” Senior U.N.

officials said that if cash runs out the agency would be forced to close its New York headquarters by August, cancel the annual General Assembly in September and shut the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which coordinates responses to global emergencies. The Security Council meets at U.N.

headquarters. On Dec. 30 the General Assembly authorized $3.45 billion for the U.N.’s 2026 budget covering peace and security, sustainable development and human rights. A senior U.N. official briefed reporters that the United States is responsible for about 95 percent of the money owed to the United Nations — about $2.2 billion — a combination of unpaid 2025 dues and 2026 dues.

The official also said the United States owes roughly $1.9 billion for active peacekeeping, $528 million for closed missions and $43.6 million for tribunals. The senior U.N. official said the United States had indicated it would make a payment of about $160 million for active peacekeeping but would not pay for the tribunals.

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