US pays $926 million to UN, easing its debt dispute with the world body

The US still owes US$1.312 billion to the regular budget, said UN spokesperson.

UNITED NATIONS - The Trump administration paid US$725 million (S$926 million) to the United Nations (UN), the organisation said on Sept 16, reducing Washington’s large debt and ensuring it keeps its vote at the UN General Assembly convening in New York next week.

US President Donald Trump has criticised the global body for not living up to its potential and slashed funding to many UN agencies. When asked about the planned payment in August, a US official said any payments will be contingent on continued reforms of the UN.

“We received US$725 million yesterday from the United States for the UN regular budget, and we also received US$102 million from the US for peacekeeping on Friday,” said UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.

“The US still owes US$1.312 billion to the regular budget,” he said, adding that, “with these payments, the US is no longer in jeopardy of falling under Article 19 for 2027”.

Under Article 19 of the UN Charter, a member state loses its voting rights in the General Assembly if its arrears exceed two years in annual fees, although grace periods are possible.

The Trump administration has carried out an unprecedented shrinking of its federal government, saying it was bloated and has significantly cut back on domestic and foreign grants in an effort that it says was to put money into causes that aligned with US taxpayer interests.

The US is the biggest contributor to the UN budget, but under the Trump administration it has slow-walked mandatory payments to regular and peacekeeping budgets, and has slashed voluntary funding to UN agencies with their own budgets.

The second-biggest contributor, China, also paid US$641.4 million on Sept 1 in its regular budget contributions, according to the UN website.

The UN has been undergoing a reform and cost-cutting exercise known as “UN80” amid its financial crisis. REUTERS