Reuters: UN Secretary General warns of "imminent financial collapse"

Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres has told states that the organization is in danger of "imminent financial collapse," citing unpaid dues and a rule that forces the organization to return unspent funds. This was reported by the agency Reuters, whose journalists got acquainted with the content of the letter.

"The crisis is deepening, threatening the implementation of programs and risking financial collapse. And the situation will deteriorate further in the near future," Guterres wrote in a letter dated January 28.

The UN faced a financial crisis, as the United States, which was the largest donor, reduced voluntary funding for the organization's institutions and refused to make mandatory payments to the regular budget and the budget for UN peacekeeping operations.

In the letter, Guterres stated that "the decision to waive the mandatory contributions that finance a significant portion of the approved regular budget has been officially announced."

It was not immediately clear which state or states the UN Secretary-General was referring to. A UN spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Either all member states must fulfill their obligations to pay in full and on time, or member states must fundamentally revise their financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse," Guterres said, warning that they could run out of funds by July.

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