On February 10, the United Nations said it was waiting to clarify the timing and scale of delayed budget payments from the US, after a commitment that Washington would make an initial payment in the next few weeks.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has discussed this issue for a long time with US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, while the organization's budget control department has also contacted and received initial signals.
According to the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres warned member states in a letter on January 28 that the organization is facing the risk of an "imminent financial collapse" due to unpaid fees. Among these, most financial obligations belong to the United States.
UN officials said Washington is responsible for more than 95% of the total overdue debt for the organization's annual budget.
As of early February, the US owes 2.19 billion USD for the annual budget, along with 2.4 billion USD related to existing and former peacekeeping missions, and 43.6 million USD to UN courts.
Officials also said that the US did not contribute to the annual budget last year, leading to a debt of 827 million USD, and also owes 767 million USD for 2026, in addition to backlogs from previous years.
Ambassador Mike Waltz said that the first amount of money will soon be transferred, considered a significant "deposit" for annual financial obligations. He said the final figure has not yet been decided, but payment will take place in a few weeks.
When asked if this amount would be used to pay for last year's obligations, 2026, or both, Mr. Waltz replied that the payment was aimed at resolving outstanding debts, and acknowledged some reforms that had been implemented.
According to UN data, as of the deadline of February 8, only 55 countries have completed their annual budget contribution obligations for this year, in the context of continued financial difficulties putting great pressure on the organization's operations.
