US must fulfill its duty toward UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, among other things, also has the unenviable job of resolving the funding crisis for the United Nations. So serious is the UN's funds crunch that it may not be able to pay the salaries of its staff in November.

The budgets for the UN and its agencies mainly come from two types of funding. Assessment contributions from member states fund the UN's major organs including the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, International Court of Justice, and the Trustee Council; and voluntary contributions from members fund relatively independent UN agencies such as the UN Development Programme, UN Food Programme and UNICEF. Assessment contributions, in turn, are of two types: regular budget and peacekeeping budget. The UN faces fund shortages in both categories.

Increasing missions, diminishing funds