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UN warns of liquidity crisis as unpaid member dues pile up
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Summary
A UN briefing said the Secretary‑General sent a letter to member states warning of a liquidity crisis driven by unpaid dues and the requirement to return unspent credits; outstanding dues were reported at $1.56 billion at the end of 2025, the briefing said.
Journalists at the UN were told the Secretary‑General sent a letter to member states underscoring the gravity of the United Nations’ financial situation. The spokesperson said two structural problems are driving the risk: persistent non‑payment of assessed dues by some member states and obligations to return credits for budget lines the Secretariat has not been able to spend.
The briefing said the Secretary‑General warned returning nearly $300,000,000 in credits would trigger a liquidity crisis and that outstanding assessed contributions at the end of 2025 totaled $1,560,000,000. “Unless either the payments come in or we are not compelled to spend to return the monies that we are not able to spend…we face a real danger of running out of money,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson confirmed the letter was circulated to member states yesterday and said the Secretariat has repeatedly raised the matter with capitals and is counting on member states to understand the severity of the situation and to take appropriate action. Journalists pressed whether the language amounted to hyperbole; the spokesperson replied it was not, saying finance officers are looking at the numbers and the Secretariat's ability to maintain operations has been undercut as reserves have dwindled.
