UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed a sweeping 15 per cent reduction in the United Nations’ regular budget for 2026 — a move that would trim approximately US$500 million from the previous year’s level, and result in the elimination of 2,681 jobs.
Previously, Guterres had indicated his intention to maintain the 2026 budget at roughly the same level as 2025 (about US$3.7 billion), but under his UN80 Initiative he has worked to make the organization more “agile and efficient.” The revised budget now stands at US$3.238 billion.
In letters distributed this Tuesday to UN member states and personnel, Guterres announced “reductions of more than 15 percent in the regular budget level,” along with a 19 per cent cut to the workforce funded under that budget.
He stated that the impact of these cuts will be felt across the UN’s three central pillars — peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development. However, programs aimed at least-developed nations will be spared from the reductions.
“For some colleagues, these changes may mean relocation for themselves and their families. For others, they mean changes in functions or reporting lines. And for some, separation from service,” Guterres wrote.
One of the proposed cost-saving measures includes relocating at least 200 personnel from Geneva and New York to less expensive cities such as Nairobi.
The new budget will be subject to a vote by the General Assembly before the end of the year.
These measures come in response to the UN’s longstanding liquidity problems, which have worsened amid the US government’s recent policies. The United States, which typically contributes about 22 per cent of the regular budget, was US$1.5 billion in arrears at the end of January, and, according to UN records, has made no payments since President Donald Trump resumed office.
With its future contributions uncertain, Washington has also pulled out of several UN agencies; in July, Congress voted to rescind funding that had previously been approved.
