UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Member States this Friday (30) about the risk of an “imminent financial collapse” of the organization.
The information was released by Reuterswho had access to a letter addressed to ambassadors.
“The crisis is deepening, threatening the execution of programs and running the risk of a financial collapse. And the situation is expected to deteriorate further in the near future,” wrote Guterres, citing the lack of payment of fees and a rule that forced the United Nations to return unused resources.
The official announcement of the crisis comes at a time when the USA, the organization’s main contributor, is moving away. Donald Trump’s government has drastically reduced voluntary funding for UN agencies.
In early January, the president signed an executive order to withdraw the country from 66 international organizations and stop participating in international treaties that, in his discretion, are contrary to national interests, including the withdrawal of 31 entities from the United Nations (UN).
The United Nations Secretary-General said in the letter that “the decisions not to honor the mandatory contributions that finance a significant part of the approved regular budget have now been formally announced.”
Guterres called on Member States to allocate more resources to the organization at the risk of collapsing its finances. “Either all Member States meet their payment obligations in full and on time, or Member States must fundamentally review our financial rules to avoid an imminent financial collapse.”
In the document addressed to ambassadors, the UN chief said that resources could be exhausted by July.
