UN Secretary-General Guterres proposed on the 17thReduction of the United Nations staffing establishment for 2026 by 18.8 percent, representing a reduction of 2,681 positions to 11,594 compared with the approved staffing establishment for 2025。
On the same day, Guterres submitted the revised regular budget plan for 2026 to the Fifth Committee of the UN General Assembly. He proposed to reduce the 2026 budget to 3.238 billion dollars, a decrease of 577 million dollars or 15.1% compared with 2025. Guterres previously proposed a regular budget of US $3.715 billion for 2026, with a staffing of 14,275 positions.
Guterres said,The revised budget reflects the urgency of UN reform and is a response to changes in the fiscal situation and the expectations of member states.Although the proposed cuts are substantial, they have been adjusted to maintain the balance between the three pillars of the work of the United Nations, peace and security, development and human rights.The cuts are mainly aimed at larger sections of the United Nations Secretariat, focusing on optimizing resources, streamlining administrative services, integrating functions and exploring modes of delivery that are less costly.
According to Guterres,As of the end of 2024, United Nations Member States have arrears in contributions as high as US$760 million, most of which have not yet been paid.As of the end of September this year, the United Nations had only received 66.2% of the assessed contributions of Member States in 2025, which was significantly lower than the 78.1% in the same period last year. Given the current income uncertainty, even after cutting expenditures by nearly $600 million, the United Nations may still have a deficit of more than $450 million by the end of 2025.