The situation for many of the UN funds and programmes that rely on voluntary contributions to provide live-saving assistance in conflict regions is even more dire. Funding cuts, non-payment and late payment are just some of the key budgetary challenges facing the UN. By 8 February, the due date for membership contributions to the regular UN budget, only 55 countries had paid. The ongoing funding crisis affecting the Secretariat and the UN agencies – and the millions of people who depend on their support – has reignited the debate on alternative funding instruments.
The crisis of assessed contributions
The UN requires all Member States to contribute to its regular budget. According to the UN Charter, “the expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the Members as apportioned by the General Assembly”. The latest scale for the assessed contributions was established by UN General Assembly Resolution (79/249) on Christmas Day 2024. The key principle for the assessed contributions is that expenses for the UN’s budget should be shared broadly according to capacity to pay. An estimate of each country’s Gross National Income (GNI) is the main indicator to measure that capacity. While this sounds like a fair and easy formula, it also means that the lion’s share of contributions to the UN is collected from only two countries. The world’s two largest economies – the USA and China –contribute 22 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Non-payment is not an unknown quantity for the UN system. And there is very little that the UN can actually do to sanction defaulters (a key sanction would be to suspend a Member State’s voting rights at the UN General Assembly). In order to map compliance – and name and shame the Member States that don’t comply – the UN is publishing the “Honour Roll” as a regularly updated database. The mapping indicates that, in 2025, only 151 of the 193 Member States paid their regular budget assessments in full, meaning that 42 did not pay up.
While most of these non-payers were small countries, the US default in particular left a big hole in the UN’s purse. The US is responsible for about 95 percent of unpaid contributions owed to the UN. (Ed note: President Trump has indeed halted or delayed funding to the UN. For many years the US tax payer dollar has gone to specific agencies and progams that we do not agree with. Have you ever heard the saying, "Get the US out of the UN, and get the UN out of the US. But wait a minute, what did Michael Corleone say, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." That about says it all.) (Read More)
