The UN’s Crisis Of Nonpayment – OpEd

February 2, 2026 
By Simon Hutagalung

The United Nations faces a severe financial crisis because Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the organisation faces mounting risks to its operational abilities. Member states failed to fulfil their financial duties, which resulted in peacekeeping operations being halted, while humanitarian support decreased, and international law lost its effectiveness. The United Nations will continue to serve as a worldwide dialogue platform which solves global challenges only when member states meet their financial obligations to the organisation.

The main problem at present involves the growing number of outstanding debts. The United States stands as the biggest donor, which has not made its payments, thus creating financial problems that affect all parts of the organisation. The organisation faces financial problems because its limited budget needs to support multiple responsibilities. The UN becomes unable to act during critical times because essential member states do not meet their obligations, which prevents the organisation from taking swift action against global crises.

This problem has existed for some time already. The United Nations has experienced continuous financial problems since 1987 because the United States has consistently failed to meet its payment obligations. The United States has periodically stopped providing financial support to force changes in UN operations and demonstrate its disagreement with UN policy decisions. The institution will experience enduring stability problems because its present political achievements in the short term will create obstacles for the future. Member states face an ongoing problem of nonpayment, which weakens their ability to trust each other. The UN faces significant challenges in taking decisive action because historical records demonstrate that accumulated arrears create major obstacles.

Equally concerning is the erosion of fairness and credibility. The UN’s scale of assessments requires wealthy countries to pay more than less affluent nations. This system is only fair if all members fulfil their financial obligations. The failure of strong nations to keep their promises makes smaller countries doubt the reason they should continue their support. The United Nations faces damage to its rule-based organisation reputation because people doubt its commitment to fair practices. The United States loses its moral standing because it demands international law compliance from others, yet it does not fulfil its own obligations.

The present worldwide financial instability creates immediate dangers which affect all present global security systems. The United Nations uses its peacekeeping missions as its most important yet expensive operations, which need stable financial support. The mission’s function is to stop conflicts from growing worse while they safeguard people and creates stability in unstable nations. Organisations face two major problems because of delayed funding: they cannot meet their deployment targets, and they do not receive enough equipment, which raises questions about their personnel’s preparedness. The UN becomes less capable of stopping violent conflicts, which leads to possible international peace threats.



Humanitarian programs experience funding shortages, which create additional problems for their operations. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme need steady financial support to deliver vital shelter services, food assistance, and medical aid to their large number of beneficiaries. The delivery of emergency assistance becomes delayed because funding for crisis responses experiences prolonged delays during pandemic emergencies, natural disasters, and military conflicts. The UN faces damage to its reputation as a protector of vulnerable populations because these groups face the most adverse effects. The failure of financial responsibilities to fulfil their duties leads to the breakdown of essential human bonds which exist between all people.

The solution to this problem exists at present. Member states need to understand that their UN membership depends on their ability to meet their financial responsibilities. The United States needs to lead by example through its payment methods because it stands as a global leader to establish trust, which will encourage other nations to follow international rules. The UN Charter requires member states to follow its enforcement mechanisms, which include voting rights suspension for members who fail to pay their dues.

The entire process requires all important information to become visible to others. The UN needs to establish a transparent system which shows donors how their funds support specific peacekeeping operations, humanitarian programs, and climate change projects. The public, along with members of Congress, will financially support them when they observe specific achievements from their investments. The practice of increased transparency would help to prove that operations are efficient and spending is not wasteful, which are the false claims used to delay payment disbursements.

The organisation needs to investigate multiple funding options, which include voluntary donations, international financial institution partnerships and worldwide carbon emission and arms sale tax systems to enhance its financial stability against payment delays. The proposed measures would strengthen institutional stability, but they should not replace membership dues because they need both political courage and consensus from members. Member states continue to fulfil their entire obligations, which they agreed to under the agreement.

Nations should treat UN dues as essential funding which supports worldwide peace. National defence funding from governments requires equal support for UN contributions because these funds protect humanity from conflicts, humanitarian disasters, and environmental breakdowns. The United States needs to demonstrate its commitment to responsibility because leadership and credibility exist as interconnected elements. Smaller states need to uphold their duties because this upholds both the values of fairness and the collective duty to protect the planet.

The United Nations dues payment process serves as an essential international responsibility assessment which goes beyond being a mere technical requirement. The problems of unpaid debts, broken trust relationships, and reduced operational capabilities require political dedication, along with accountability systems, transparent operations and new funding solutions. The UN faces an urgent financial crisis, according to Guterres, who warns that failure to act will produce severe results. The continuation of peacekeeping operations becomes possible when dues are paid on time because this enables humanitarian aid delivery, and nations demonstrate their ability to achieve mutual benefits through teamwork. Member states need to pay their United Nations dues before they can use the organisation for dialogue and problem-solving activities.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own.

References

Reuters. (2026, January 30). Guterres warns of the UN’s ‘imminent financial collapse’ amid unpaid dues. Reuters.

 
Associated Press. (2026, January 30). United Nations faces ‘imminent financial collapse’ without urgent action, UN chief says. AP News.


Simon Hutagalung

Simon Hutagalung is a retired diplomat from the Indonesian Foreign Ministry and received his master's degree in political science and comparative politics from the City University of New York. The opinions expressed in his articles are his own.