UN chief targets US over unpaid dues, warns budget crunch costs lives

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the lack of US funds has pushed the organization to the brink of an imminent financial collapse. He stressed that the resulting cash crunch threatens the delivery of essential programs and ultimately costs lives.

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General said "And the price was largely paid by those that received assistance from the UN, which means there is more hunger, which means there is less vaccination, which means there is less support to water and sanitation, which means more people die." 

As the largest contributor, the U.S. is responsible for roughly 22% of the UN's core budget and is the largest debtor, owing more than $2 billion. Without urgent payments, UN liquidity reserves are expected to completely dry up, potentially shutting down operations at the New York headquarters.