UN Secretary -General Antonio Guterres has proposed to the Member States a reduction of about 15% of the Organization’s regular budget, which continues to face chronic fiscal restrictions, a crisis that has escalated because of the policy of US President Donald.

In the spring, Guterres submitted to the Member States a proposal for a budget of $ 3.7 billion in 2026, a level equal equal to 2025, but continued to work to review it down, under the UN 80 initiative, in order to improve the effectiveness of the institution.

In his two letters released yesterday Tuesday, he informed Member States and UN staff on the proposal that includes a reduction in ‘15% of the regular budget’or by about $ 500 million, as well as abolition of 19% of the positions funded by this part.

According to a senior UN official, the revised budget will therefore rise to $ 3,238 billion and the reduction entails the abolition of 2,681 positions.

In his letter to the staff, the Secretary General assured that the impact would be distributed in the three UN pillars (Peace and Security, Human Rights, Sustainable Development) And that some areas will be excluded, especially the relief programs in the poorest states.

“For some colleagues, these changes may mean relocation of their own and their families,” For other changes of positions, for “some” layoffs, Antonio Guterres said.

The UN chief had already suggested the relocation of some of the Geneva and New York services to less expensive cities, such as Nairobi – the proposal is a few more than 200 workers at this stage.

The budget proposal will be discussed by the Member States in view of its adoption from the General Assembly to the end of the year.

The UN has been facing years with chronic liquidity crisis, due to the fact that some Member States do not fully pay their compulsory contribution to its regular budget, while others do not make payments in time.

Thus, the US, the country with the highest contribution to the UN regular budget (over 22%, based on a quota set by the General Assembly) had accumulated in late January delayed debts of $ 1.5 billion and did not pay absolutely nothing after Donald. Whereas, in 2024, China, the country with the second largest contribution (20%), did not pay the chapters provided for in late December.

To these liquidity problems are added to increasing concerns about further decline in funding by the government of US President Trump. Many UN services have already suffered severely hit by massive cuts of US financial aid abroad.