U.N. warns of cash crisis as unpaid U.S. dues threaten global operations

If you thought global problems were far away, think again. The United Nations is warning it could run out of cash by July because the United States, its biggest contributor, owes billions in unpaid fees.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the organization faces “imminent financial collapse” as unpaid dues pile up and an old rule forces the U.N. to return unspent money even when it never received it.

By early February, the U.S. alone owed $2.19 billion for the regular U.N. budget, $2.4 billion for peacekeeping missions, and $43.6 million for tribunals. Last year, the U.S. skipped payments totaling $827 million and still owes $767 million for 2026. Venezuela and Mexico follow with $38 million and $20 million, but the U.S. accounts for 95% of the total.

These contributions keep U.N. offices running worldwide, pay salaries, fund human rights projects, and support development work. Without them, the world body cannot organize meetings, deliver aid, or pay staff.

The timing is critical. U.S. President Donald Trump has cut voluntary funding to U.N. agencies, pushed to exit organizations like the World Health Organization, and launched a personal Board of Peace. Funding appeals for 2026 were only half of what the U.N. requested in 2025, even as humanitarian crises surge.

Trump told Politico he could “solve the problem very easily” but did not confirm if the U.S. would pay, suggesting other countries cover the gap. A State Department official criticized the U.N. for waste, citing high staff salaries, generous pensions, and $340 million spent on meetings last year.

Guterres has pushed reforms through his UN80 task force and approved a 2026 regular budget roughly $200 million higher than his proposal, yet 7% lower than 2025’s. Still, without U.S. payments, the U.N. warns services and salaries could grind to a halt.

For billions around the world, this isn’t abstract bureaucracy. It’s about whether life-saving programs, peacekeeping missions, and international aid continue or run out of cash entirely.