WSJ: UN Faces Bankruptcy as US and China Withhold Payments

The UN has reached the brink of insolvency as its two largest donors—the US and China—have delayed their budget contributions. Together, these two countries account for 42% of the UN's budget.

The UN faces a serious financial crisis as the organisation's two largest donors—the US and China—have delayed their budget payments. A Wall Street Journal report on Friday, 29 May, highlights a worrying situation in which these two major powers together cover 42% of the UN's total budget.

The absence of such extensive funding has placed the organisation in an extremely difficult position and raised questions about whether the UN can continue its day-to-day operations. The risk of insolvency threatens both UN staff salaries and numerous international programmes on which millions of people around the world depend.

The payment delays from both countries have sparked a broader debate about the UN's financing structure and raised the question of whether the current system, in which a small number of major powers bear a disproportionately large financial burden, is sustainable in the long term.