A UN spokesperson said the international organization was “awaiting the exact timing of the payment” from Washington.
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Published February 9, 2026
As the burden on international organizations increases due to declining U.S. involvement, the United Nations has called on the United States to clarify its unpaid budgetary contributions.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday that U.S. Ambassador Mike Walz said last week that payments would begin in the coming weeks, but no further details were provided.
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“We have seen the statement and, frankly, the Secretary-General has been in touch with Ambassador Walz on this issue for quite some time,” Dujarric said at a news conference.
“Our (budget) managers are in contact with the US and the signs are showing. We are waiting to see exactly when and how much money will be paid,” he added.
U.N. officials said unpaid fees from the United States account for about 95% of the U.N. budget’s backlog, as President Donald Trump’s administration reduces U.S. involvement in international organizations.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a letter in January that the international organization faced “imminent financial ruin” due to unpaid membership fees.
As of early February, the United States owed the United Nations about $2.19 billion, and paid an additional $2.4 billion to peacekeeping operations and $43.6 million to U.N. tribunals. U.N. officials said the United States did not pay $827 million in last year’s budget and will not pay $767 million in 2026.
The United States and its biggest ally, Israel, frequently criticize the United Nations for being contrary to its national interests and seek to undermine the institution.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said last week that the UN office was in “survival mode” amid budget shortfalls. The Trump administration ended funding to the agency in 2025.
Mr. Turk’s office frequently releases critical reports on serious rights violations by the Israeli military against Palestinians, which the United States and Israel condemn.
Walz said last week that the United Nations would soon make a “substantial” payment toward U.S. dues, telling Reuters: “I have no doubt that the first funds will be disbursed soon.”
“On the arrears issue generally and in recognition of some of the reforms that we have seen,” he said.
Last year, the Trump administration announced its National Security Strategy, stating that “the fundamental political unit of the world is and will continue to be the nation-state,” not an international organization.
The United States has historically been the largest donor to the United Nations and its programs.
But some conservatives in President Trump’s Republican Party see the organization as a hindrance to U.S. global dominance and international rules and regulations as a threat to the country’s sovereignty.
