UN MAY RUN OUT OF MONEY BY MONTH END, FEARS GUTERRES
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations is running a deficit of $230 million, secretary general Antonio Guterres said on Monday, and may run out of money by the end of October.
In a letter intended for the 37,000 employees at the UN secretariat and obtained by AFP, Guterres said unspecified “additional stop-gap measures” would have to be taken to ensure salaries and entitlements are paid.
“Member States have paid only 70% of the total amount needed for our regular budget operations in 2019. This translates into a cash shortage of $230 million at the end of September. We run the risk of depleting our backup liquidity reserves by the end of the month,” he wrote.
To cut costs, Guterres mentioned postponing conferences and meetings and reducing services, while also restricting official travel to only essential activities and taking measures to save energy.
Guterres had asked member states earlier this year to up contributions to the world body to head off cash flow problems, but they refused, a UN official said on condition of anonymity.
‘TACKLE TERRORISM, CLIMATE CHANGE’ Guterres urged African states to tackle terrorism and climate change for the sake of peace and security. Terrorism is a growing threat across Africa, with serious implications for peace and security everywhere, Guterres told a Security Council debate on the role of preventative diplomacy, conflict prevention and resolution in Africa.
In the Sahel, terrorist groups attack local and international security forces. The violence is spreading to coastal states along the Gulf of Guinea, the UN chief reportedly said.