EU Statement – UN General Assemby 5th Committee: Improving the financial situation of the United Nations
Madame Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Member States of the European Union.
The Candidate Countries Montenegro*, Serbia*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, and Georgia, and the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Andorra, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.
At the outset, I would like to thank the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance for the presentation of the Secretary-General’s report.
We sincerely appreciate the ongoing commitment and resilience of UN staff — the Organization’s most valuable asset — particularly those working under challenging circumstances. We also commend the continued efforts to manage the Organization amid severe financial strain and to communicate to Member States the urgent need to address this situation.
The European Union and its Member States are deeply concerned that the total outstanding assessments have reached $5.6 billion, representing nearly 60% of the total budget that we collectively, through the Fifth Committee during the 79th session, agreed was necessary to support the Organization’s regular budget, peacekeeping operations, and international tribunals.
This situation hampers our efforts to build a more resilient and efficient United Nations. Cash shortfalls directly hinder the United Nations’ ability to fulfil its mandates, delay timely payments to Member States, and erode overall trust in the system. At the same time, performance discussions have become narrowly focused on liquidity management — a reality that severely jeopardizes accountability.
Madame Chair,
The root cause of this crisis remains unchanged: the lack of full, timely and predictable payment of assessed contributions by all Member States.
Therefore, the European Union and its Member States reiterate, in the strongest terms, the obligation of every Member State to pay its contributions in full, on time, and without conditions. As the Secretary-General emphasizes in his report, we also urge those unable to meet this obligation to communicate transparent and reliable payment plans to the Secretariat to enhance predictability and enable responsible financial planning.
The Member States of the European Union also deeply regret the situation that currently compels the Secretariat to implement contingency plans in peacekeeping operations, despite the fact that these budgets were adopted by consensus by the General Assembly just four months ago. These measures are not budgetary decisions but direct consequence of payment failures.
The European Union and its Member States firmly believe that strengthening the Organization requires a steadfast commitment to its Charter, including full adherence to the legal obligations outlined in Article 17.
We will continue to support efforts to improve cash management and work toward long-term, sustainable and equitable solutions. This session presents a new opportunity to analyse additional measures that minimize the impact of late and non-payments and to consider ways to enhance the methodology for calculating credits returns. A key step in this direction would be to ensure that the return of credits for the regular budget and international tribunals aligns with the current practice for peacekeeping operations. This should remain a top priority. Importantly, not returning credits to those who have not paid their contributions should be the foremost consideration in any liquidity management decision. We also reiterate that the liquidity situation must not lead to placing undue burdens on those who consistently meet their financial obligations, such as the European Union Member States. We call upon all groups and delegations to collaborate constructively and in a spirit of consensus to find a viable way forward.
Madame Chair,
The United Nations is facing enormous challenges, and it is the fundamental responsibility of the Fifth Committee, in particular, to ensure that the Organization is equipped with the necessary resources to fulfil the ambitious mandates we have collectively set.
The European Union remains fully committed to engaging constructively and in a spirit of consensus to find lasting solutions to this financial crisis. In the meantime, we will continue to support the Organization with both responsibility and flexibility. Notably, a significant portion of the Member States advancing payments—half of those to the regular budget and one third to the peacekeeping budget—are from the EU. Additionally, EU Member States continue to volunteer to upgrade assessment categories for peacekeeping operations.
But let us be clear: the burden cannot fall on a few. The solution lies in universal, timely, and full payment by all Member States.
Under your leadership, Madame Chair, and with collective will, we can reverse this cycle and enable the Organization to plan and deliver with confidence.
To conclude, allow me to reiterate the full commitment of the European Union and its Member States to the United Nations.
I thank you, Madame Chair.