{"id":305447,"date":"2025-10-20T12:00:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=305447"},"modified":"2025-10-19T06:35:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T05:35:25","slug":"un-faces-race-to-bankruptcy-as-guterres-unveils-sharply-reduced-2026-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/10\/un-faces-race-to-bankruptcy-as-guterres-unveils-sharply-reduced-2026-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"UN Faces \u2018Race to Bankruptcy\u2019 as Guterres Unveils Sharply Reduced 2026 Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Secretariat building with flags of Member States in the foreground, at UN Headquarters in New York.\u00a0 UN News\/Vibhu Mishra<\/p><\/div>\n

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17 Oct 2025 – The United Nations faces a \u201crace to bankruptcy\u201d unless Member States pay their dues in full and on time, Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres warned today, presenting a sharply reduced $3.238 billion regular budget for 2026.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The revised proposal<\/a> marks a significant drop from his original ask for next year of $3.715 billion<\/a> and is 15.1 per cent below the 2025 approved appropriation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Fifth Committee<\/a> of the General Assembly \u2013 which handles UN finances and administration \u2013 Mr. Guterres described a deeply precarious outlook, with high arrears, delayed contributions and the \u201creturn of credits\u201d threatening to wipe out liquidity and undermine core operations.<\/p>\n

Staff cuts<\/h2>\n

The revised budget also reduces staffing from the original 2026 proposal funding 13,809 posts (10,667 regular posts plus 3,142 Special Political Mission posts) to 11,594 posts \u2013 an 18.8 per cent cut compared with 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

These reductions target larger departments and administrative functions, while protecting programmes that directly serve Member States \u2013 particularly Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, small island developing States, and advocacy for Africa\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

The regular budget, funded through mandatory assessed contributions from Member States, covers the core programmes and operations of the UN Secretariat.<\/p>\n

In addition, the UN has a budget specific to peacekeeping operations on a 1 July to 30 June cycle \u2013 while the regular budget operates according to the calendar year.<\/p>\n

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