Guterres launches an initiative to make the United Nations “more efficient” facing financial difficulties

On Wednesday, the United Nations Secretary -General Antonio Guterres launched an internal review operation aimed at making the international organization “more efficient” in light of the chronic financial difficulties it suffers from, which was exacerbated by the policies of US President Donald Trump.

“The resources are diminished at all levels, and it was so long.” Guterres said.

He added that “the United Nations has been facing at least seven years a liquidity crisis because not all member states have fully fully fired, and many of them do not pay them at the time specified.”

According to the United Nations, the United States is the largest contributor to the regular budget of the international organization (by 22%, according to the share specified by the General Assembly), accumulated until the end of January, up to $ 1.5 billion, which is a large amount compared to $ 3.72 billion is the total value of the United Nations regular budget for 2025.

Also, China, the second largest shareholder in the organization’s budget (20%), has not been paid until the end of December the subscriptions due for the year 2024.

Added to these chronic financial difficulties that the United Nations suffers from the Trump administration is canceled most of the American foreign aid, which is extremely important for many international humanitarian agencies.

Also, the United Nations threatens the specter of the suspension of the American contribution to its budget, as happened during the first period of Donald Trump.

A senior United Nations official stressed that the “UN80” initiative is not a response to American pressure, at least not completely, noting that the regular audit is necessary for such an organization.

However, the official acknowledged that “the current circumstances add a degree of urgency to the process”, rejecting any comparison between the initiative of Guterres and the American Government Efficiency Committee (Dog) that Trump formed headed by Elon Musk to dismantle many American federal agencies.

On the “United Nations 80” initiative, Guterres said: “We are talking about the procedures, methods and goals that are completely different” about those followed by “Dog”, stressing that the matter is related to the “intensification” of the reforms already ongoing.

In the context of reducing expenses, for example some of the activities of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund are being transferred from their headquarters in New York, to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, which is much less expensive.

The Secretary -General stressed that “the United Nations was not ever necessary than they are today.” He added that “the United Nations budgets are not just numbers in an accounting paper, but rather a matter of life and death for millions of people around the world.”

However, the Secretary -General affirmed that “we must get value for our money,” calling for the United Nations to be “stronger and more effective in line with the twenty -first century.”

On Wednesday, the inner working group will assume the task of identifying areas and ways in which expenses can be rationalized and enhanced efficiency.