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The United Nations announced that the United States has paid about $160 million of the roughly $4 billion in unpaid dues.
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the payments would go toward the U.N.’s regular operating budget.
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But the shortfall comes after President Donald Trump’s administration publicly questioned its commitment to the United Nations and cut funding for the international body.
Still, on Thursday, President Trump appeared to support funding for the United Nations at the first meeting of the Peace Commission in Washington, D.C.
“We’re going to support them financially and make sure the United Nations survives,” Trump said. “And I think ultimately we’ll reach our full potential. It’s going to be a great day.”
The United Nations showed that the United States owes about $2.196 billion to its regular budget, including $767 million for the current fiscal year. Another $1.8 billion is being paid to UN peacekeeping operations.
financial crisis
The United Nations has been facing a financial crisis for many years, with funding shortfalls worsening. Each of the organization’s 193 member states is required to contribute based on its economic capacity.
Poor countries could be required to contribute as little as 0.001 percent of the UN’s regular budget. Wealthier countries could reach a maximum contribution of 22%.
But unpaid dues have already forced the UN to cut spending and cut services.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning last month that the global body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its fiscal rules are overhauled or all 193 member states pay their dues.
Guterres said the UN’s regular operating budget could run out as early as July, a scenario that could seriously threaten the organization’s global operations.
The United States is the world’s largest economy and the largest donor to the United Nations. But it currently has billions of dollars in unpaid dues.
U.N. officials said the United States accounts for about 95 percent of the organization’s regular budget arrears.
“Empty words”
Since returning to the White House for a second term in January 2025, President Trump has raised concerns that America’s dues will go unpaid.
Republican leaders have repeatedly criticized the U.N. as incompetent and made that point clear at the U.N. General Assembly in September.
“What is the purpose of the United Nations?” Trump asked Congress. “All they seem to be doing is writing a very strongly worded letter and never following up on that letter. It’s empty words.”
Throughout his second term, he has cut foreign aid spending and retreated from international commitments. In January, for example, his government withdrew from 31 United Nations programs, including the Democracy Fund and groups working on maternal and child health.
But at Thursday’s peace committee meeting, Trump appeared to take a warmer stance toward the United Nations, saying he intended to work “very closely” with it.
“One day I won’t be here. The United Nations will be,” he said, appearing to support the continued existence of the United Nations.
President Trump acknowledged the group’s financial difficulties, saying, “They need help, and they need help financially.” There was no mention of US arrears.
The creation of the peace commission, which was intended to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, is seen by many as President Trump’s attempt to parallel the role of the United Nations Security Council in preventing and ending conflicts around the world.
Critics have described the board, chaired by Mr. Trump, as a “parallel system” that risks undermining the United Nations’ authority and operations.
Trump himself appeared to characterize the peace commission as a United Nations oversight body in his remarks Thursday.
He said the peace committee “will monitor the United Nations and ensure that it is operating properly.”
