Abdullah Al-Haqim 
United Nations Secretary -General Antonio Guterres launched an internal review process aimed at making the international organization “more efficient” in light of the chronic financial difficulties that the United Nations has suffered by the policies of US President Donald Trump.
“The resources are diminished at all levels, and it was the case for a long time.”
He added that “the United Nations has been facing at least 7 years for a liquidity crisis because not all member states have fully bound their contributions, and many of them do not pay them on time.”
Adults are backward
According to the United Nations, the United States, the largest contributor to the regular budget of the international organization (by 22%, according to the share specified by the General Assembly), has accumulated until the end of January, arrears of $ 1.5 billion.
This amount is large 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.
Trump’s consequences
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 suspending the American contribution to its budget, as happened during the first period of Donald Trump.
A senior United Nations official stressed that the “United Nations 80” initiative is not a response to American pressure, noting that the regular audit is necessary for such an organization.
But the official acknowledged that “the current circumstances add a degree of urgency to the process”, rejecting any comparison between the initiative of the Guterres and the American Government Efficiency Committee (Dog) formed by Trump headed by billionaire Elon Musk to dismantle many US federal agencies.
It is not “Doug”
On the “United Nations 80” initiative, Guterres said, “We are talking about completely different measures, methods and goals” about those followed by “Dog”, stressing that the matter is related to the “intensification” of the ongoing reforms.
In the context of reducing expenditures, 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 the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which is much less expensive.
The Secretary -General stressed that “the United Nations was not ever necessary than it is today.” Considering that the United Nations budgets “are not just numbers in an accounting paper, but rather a matter of life or death for millions of people around the world.”
He continued, “We must get value for our money,” calling for the United Nations to be “stronger and more effective in line with the 21st century.”
The internal working group that was launched yesterday will assume the task of identifying the fields and ways in which expenses can be rationalized and enhanced efficiency.
