The core United Nations (UN) budget could be cut by $577 million next year under a proposal from UN's Secretary-General António Guterres, who is also seeking to eliminate more than 18% of jobs.
Guterres is seeking to improve efficiency and reduce costs as the United Nations marks its 80th year while confronting a worsening cash crisis driven largely by unpaid U.S. dues.
“We ended 2024 with 760 million dollars in arrears, of which 709 million dollars remains outstanding. We have also not received 877 million dollars of 2025 contributions, and arrears now stand at 1.586 billion dollars,” Guterres told the 193-member General Assembly budget committee.
He proposed a core budget of 3.238 billion dollars for 2026, a reduction of 15 percent compared with this year. The core budget covers the UN’s political, humanitarian, disarmament, economic and social affairs, as well as communications functions.
Contributions to most UN agencies, funds and programmes, such as the World Food Programme and UNICEF, remain voluntary.
“Liquidity remains fragile, and this challenge will persist regardless of the final budget approved by the General Assembly, given the unacceptable volume of arrears,” Guterres said.
The United States is the largest contributor to the UN’s core budget, paying the maximum 22 percent under the General Assembly’s assessment scale.
President Donald Trump has said the UN has “great potential” but argues it is not meeting expectations, and he wants to significantly reduce U.S. funding.
In March, Guterres launched a reform task force known as UN80, aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency across the organisation.
UN peacekeeping has a separate budget. In October, senior UN officials said a quarter of personnel across nine missions would be cut because of funding shortages and uncertainty over future U.S. contributions.
Radio contact was lost with a jet carrying Libya’s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, shortly after it took off from Ankara, the Tur...
The economic and political relationship between Azerbaijan and Türkiye has been on an upward trajectory, with both countries strengthening their ties...
In the midst of political tensions and a looming budget crisis in France, the government is grappling with the intricacies of passing an emergency bil...
Afghanistan and Iran have signed an implementation plan to strengthen regulation of food, medicine, and health products based on a 2023 cooperation ag...
Current security challenges and ongoing geopolitical shifts were the focus of the annual Georgia Ambassadors' Conference taking place from 22 - 25 Dec...
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a stark warning over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Tens of millions of people in urgent need of help won't be getting much assistance next year. That's according to the United Nations which launched a $23 billion aid appeal on Monday (8 December) which is half of last year's request, acknowledging a plunge in donor funding.
As the race to succeed António Guterres gathers pace, former Vice President of Costa Rica and Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Rebeca Grynspan has issued a stark challenge to the United Nations: end eight decades of male exclusivity and finally elect a woman on merit.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has unveiled a sharp reduction to the organisation’s 2026 regular budget, proposing a cut of $577 million and an 18% reduction in staffing, as the United Nations faces one of its most severe liquidity crises in years.
Vince Zampella, co-creator of the Call of Duty gaming franchise, has died in a car crash involving a Ferrari crash on Monday in Los Angeles, United States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is monitoring recent Iranian military exercises and will raise the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to Washington next week.
The European Union stands at a crossroads: to receive new members and accelerate the enlargement process in order to strengthen its role in the international arena, or to risk strategic stagnation by delaying expansion in favor of internal reform.
Paramount has reaffirmed its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, offering $30 per share in cash and backing the proposal with a $40.4 billion personal equity guarantee from billionaire Larry Ellison, despite the target company’s board urging shareholders to reject the offer.
U.S. President Donald Trump has approved plans to construct a new class of battleships, which he described as larger, faster and significantly more powerful than any previous U.S. warship.
Radio contact was lost with a jet carrying Libya’s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, shortly after it took off from Ankara, the Turkish capital, en route to Tripoli, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported on Tuesday.
In the midst of political tensions and a looming budget crisis in France, the government is grappling with the intricacies of passing an emergency bill ahead of the Christmas period.
As the year comes to a close, questions remain about the sustainability of European Union support for Ukraine. Political analyst Orkhan Nabiyev, speaking to AnewZ from Baku, expressed confidence that EU backing will hold firm into 2026.
Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to China have surged by 1.6 million tonnes in November marking a 143% increase from the same period last year.
The European Union has released €2.3 billion in financial aid to Ukraine to support urgent social and civil infrastructure needs. According to political analyst Orkhan Nabiyev, this move reflects the EU’s assessment that a peace deal with Russia is unlikely in the near future.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment