The United Nations announced that the United States had paid about $160 million of the approximately $4 billion in unpaid dues.
According to spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the money goes towards the UN’s regular operating budget.
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But the shortage comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has publicly questioned its commitment to the United Nations and cut funding allocated to the international body.
Nonetheless, President Trump appeared to support U.N. funding at the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
“We will help them with money and make sure the United Nations survives,” Trump said. “And I think it will eventually reach its full potential. That will be a really important day.”
The United Nations said the United States owes about $2.196 billion, including $767 million in this year’s regular budget. It owes an additional $1.8 billion to the United Nations for its peacekeeping operations.
financial crisis
For several years, the United Nations has been facing a financial crisis that has left its donations increasingly scarce. Each of the organization’s 193 member countries is required to contribute according to its economic capacity.
Poor countries may be asked to contribute as little as 0.001% of the UN’s regular budget. Rich countries can reach a maximum contribution of 22%.
But unpaid membership fees have already forced the United Nations to cut spending and scale back services.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning last month that the international body would face “imminent financial collapse” if its financial rules were overhauled or all 193 member states failed to pay their dues.
Guterres said the UN’s regular operating budget could run out as early as July, a scenario that would seriously jeopardize the UN’s global operations.
The United States is the world’s largest economy and the largest donor to the United Nations. However, it currently owes billions of dollars in unpaid dues.
U.N. officials say the United States accounts for about 95% of U.N. regular budget arrears.
‘idle talk’
Since returning to the White House for a second term in January 2025, President Trump has raised concerns that U.S. dues may go unpaid.
The Republican leader has repeatedly criticized the United Nations as incompetent, a sentiment he even made clear at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“What is the purpose of the United Nations?” Trump asked Congress. “It seems like what they do is they write a letter of really strong words and then they never follow that letter. Those are empty words.”
So far in his second term, he has cut foreign aid spending and backed away from international commitments. For example, in January his government withdrew 31 UN programs, including the Democracy Fund and maternal and child health agencies.
But at Thursday’s peace council meeting, Trump appeared to take a warmer stance toward the United Nations, saying he planned to work “very closely” with it.
“One day I will not be here. The United Nations will be,” he said, seemingly endorsing longevity.
Trump also acknowledged the organization’s financial struggles, saying, “They need help, they need financial help.” He made no mention of America’s arrears.
The creation of the peace council is intended to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, but many see it as Trump’s attempt to compete with the UN Security Council’s role in preventing and ending conflict around the world.
Critics have described the council, which Trump chairs, as a “parallel system” that risks undermining the authority and operations of the United Nations.
Trump himself appeared in remarks Thursday to designate his peace council as an oversight body of the United Nations.
He said the peace committee would “mostly oversee the United Nations and make sure it operates properly.”
