UN Awaiting US Payments on $4B Bill    02/10 06:16

   

   UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United Nations said Monday it's waiting to find 
out how much of the nearly $4 billion the United States owes the world 
organization the Trump administration intends to pay and when the money will 
arrive.

   U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that the world body 
faces "imminent financial collapse" unless its financial rules are overhauled 
or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the 
United States.

   The U.S. owes $2.196 billion to the U.N.'s regular operating budget, 
including $767 million for this year, according to a U.N. official. The U.S. 
also owes $1.8 billion for the separate budget for the U.N.'s far-flung 
peacekeeping operations, and that also will rise.

   The U.S. Mission to the United Nations confirmed that U.S. Ambassador Mike 
Waltz said the Trump administration planned to make a significant down payment 
on its arrears in a matter of weeks, with the final amount still to be 
determined. His comments were first reported by Reuters.

   U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Monday that Guterres has 
been in touch with Waltz "for quite some time," and the U.N.'s controller also 
has been in touch with U.S. officials.

   "We're waiting to see exactly when payments will be made and in what 
amount," Dujarric said.

   Guterres said in a letter to all member nations last week that cash for the 
U.N.'s regular operating budget could run out by July, which could dramatically 
affect its operations.

   President Donald Trump has said the United Nations has not lived up to its 
potential. His administration did not pay anything to the United Nations in 
2025, and it has withdrawn from U.N. organizations, including the World Health 
Organization and the cultural agency UNESCO, while pulling funding from dozens 
of others.

   U.N. officials have said 95% of the arrears to the U.N.'s regular budget is 
from the United States.

   The country second on the list for not paying its mandatory regular dues is 
Venezuela, which owes $38 million, the U.N. official said. The South American 
nation, whose economy was struggling before the U.S. military raid in January 
that deposed then-President Nicols Maduro, has lost its right to vote in the 
General Assembly for being two years in arrears.

   Nearly 60 countries paid their annual dues by the Feb. 8 due date.