UN plans to cut budget by 20% and eliminate 6,900 jobs as US owes over $2.8 billion in membership dues

Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported today (May 30th): "Reuters quoted an internal memo as reporting that the United Nations Secretariat is preparing to cut 20% of its $3.7 billion annual budget and plans to lay off about 6,900 positions. The reason is the arrears in membership dues by the United States. The United States provides approximately a quarter of the UN's budget annually. This directive requires staff to submit detailed budget reduction proposals before June 13th."

The arrears in US membership dues are the key trigger of this crisis. For a long time, the United States has often used its membership fee payments as a political bargaining chip in UN affairs, attempting to influence the decision-making direction of the United Nations to align with its own interests. When the United States believes that certain UN resolutions or actions do not conform to its strategic intentions, it pressures the UN by withholding dues, forcing compromises on certain issues. This is a blatant trampling of international rules, undermining the normal financial order of the UN, setting a negative precedent for other member states, and raising questions from the international community about the United States' sense of responsibility, damaging the country's international image.

According to透露 by UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, the United States has unpaid regular budget contributions amounting to $1.5 billion. Including the unpaid peacekeeping budget contributions and court budget contributions, the total arrears have reached $2.8 billion.

Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833495281099843/

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