The Bench Report

The UN at 80: Crisis, Cash, and the Future of Global Cooperation

• The Bench Report • Season 4

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The United Nations celebrates its 80th anniversary, marking eight decades since the UN Charter was signed in 1945. We examine the UN’s founding purposes, including maintaining international peace and promoting human rights. However, this milestone is overshadowed by a severe liquidity crisis resulting from member states, including Permanent Five (P5) members, failing to pay their mandatory contributions. We detail the two main funding types (assessed vs. voluntary) and explore the proposed UN80 reform initiative, which seeks to streamline operations, reduce duplication, and ensure the UN is fit for modern global challenges. 

Key Takeaways

  • The UN Charter was signed on 26 June 1945, establishing the organization with the goals of saving succeeding generations from war and promoting social progress.
  • The UN System is broader than the main organization, encompassing specialized agencies like the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
  • The UN faces a worsening cash crisis because many member states are not paying their legally-binding assessed contributions in full or on time.
  • As of October 2025, the top three states owing significant arrears to the UN’s regular budget are the US, China, and Russia—all permanent members of the Security Council.
  • The Security Council is the main decision-making body for international peace and security, composed of five permanent members (P5: China, France, Russia, UK, US) and ten elected non-permanent members.
  • The UK supports reforming the Security Council to include permanent membership for countries such in Africa, as well as Germany, Japan, India, and Brazil.
  • The UN80 Initiative aims to find efficiencies, review mandates, and potentially merge or streamline agencies (like UNFPA and UN Women) to better align the UN’s actions with its goals.

Source: The United Nations at 80: Paper Series
Research Briefing
Published Wednesday, 29 October, 2025


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No outside chatter: source material only taken from Hansard and the Parliament UK website.

Contains Parliamentary information repurposed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Ivan:

Hello and welcome again to the Bench Report, where we discuss recent debates and briefings from the benches of the UK Parliament. A new topic every episode. You're listening to Amy and Ivan. Today we have a special extended episode on the United Nations turning 80 years old.

Amy:

And we're looking at some recent House of Commons library briefings, really digging into, you know, the UN's history, its current struggles, and these urgent plans for the future. Especially when you consider its origins. The ambition back then was just immense.

Ivan:

Right. The charter itself signed June 26, 1945, San Francisco. Then it came into force what, October 24th, that same year.

Amy:

Exactly. Fifty initial signatories. Poland joined soon after making it 51 founding members. It was this collective promise, really, born out of the uh the trauma of World War II.

Ivan:

And the preamble lays it out, doesn't it? To save succeeding generations from war.

Amy:

Reaffirm faith in human rights, promote social progress. It was, you know, more than just politics. It felt like a moral necessity.

Ivan:

And the groundwork for it was actually laid during the war itself, step by step. Quite remarkable foresight, really.

Amy:

It was. You had the Atlantic Charter back in August 41, Churchill and Roosevelt talking about a wider and permanent system of general security.

Ivan:

Roosevelt even came up with the name United Nations, didn't he? In early 42.

Amy:

He did, yeah. January 42, when 26 states united against the Axis powers. That was the formal start of the name.

Ivan:

Then the actual nuts and bolts started coming together. Dumbarton Oaks in 44 drafted the initial charter outline.

Amy:

But the um the really decisive moment, the one that shaped its power structure was Yalta in early 45.

Ivan:

That's where the veto power for the permanent Security Council members came from.

Amy:

Precisely. The P5, China, France, Russia, UK, U.S., the victorious allies essentially got a veto over substantive decisions. And that basic power structure, well, it's still the core issue today, 80 years on.

Ivan:

It's quite the irony, isn't it?

Amy:

Yeah.

Ivan:

The mechanism designed for security by the victors now often seems to be the source of paralysis.

Amy:

It certainly can be.

Ivan:

And a little bit of UK history there. The first UN sessions, General Assembly and Security Council, were actually held in London, January 46th.

Amy:

That's right. Methodist Central Hall and Church House, facilitated by the British diplomat Gladwin Jeb, a key early role.

Ivan:

So from that initial blueprint to now, the UN has grown immensely. It's not just one organization.

Amy:

No, it's a whole UN system. You've got specialized agencies, some very powerful ones like the World Health Organization, the IMF. They're all part of this wider family.

Ivan:

But the charter did set up six main organs. We know the General Assembly in New York, the big forum for all hundred and ninety-three members.

Amy:

And the Security Council also in New York, with that primary responsibility for peace and security, though, as we said, often gridlocked.

Ivan:

Then there's the Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, coordinating policy on, well, almost everything else, economic, social, and environmental issues.

Amy:

Based in New York and Geneva, and the Secretariat, the UN's International Civil Service, headed by the Secretary General.

Ivan:

And the judicial arm?

Amy:

That's the International Court of Justice, the ICJ. Importantly, it's not in New York. It's at the Peace Palace in The Hague. It handles legal disputes between states.

Ivan:

And the sixth one, the trusteeship council. That's suspended now, right?

Amy:

T Yes. Since 1994, its job was overseeing the transition of former colonies, the trust territories, to self-governance. Once the last one achieved that, its work was done.

Ivan:

So back to the Security Council. The P5, China, France, Russia, UK, US, still reflecting the world of 1945.

Amy:

Aaron

Ivan:

which is precisely the problem. That power balance doesn't really map onto today's world, does it? Hence the constant calls for reform. You'd think after 80 years. But it's complicated. What's the UK's official line on reform, according to these briefings?

Amy:

The UK position is actually quite specific. It supports expansion, uh permanent membership for Africa, which is a major gap.

Ivan:

Okay, that makes sense.

Amy:

And also permanent seats for Germany, Japan, India, and Brazil. So a significant restructuring to make it more representative.

Ivan:

Suggests the UK sees that legitimacy is tied to representation, I suppose.

Amy:

It seems so. If the Council isn't seen as reflecting the world, its authority weakens.

Ivan:

Now, structure and politics aside, there's a huge elephant in the room. Money. Or the lack of it.

Amy:

Absolutely. We have to talk about the financial crisis because the Secretary General Antonio Guterres has issued stark warnings. He's talking about a race to bankruptcy.

Ivan:

Bankruptcy. That's existential for the U.N.

Amy:

It really is. So how is it funded? Basically, two mainstreams. First, assess contributions. These are mandatory.

Ivan:

Right. Every member state has to pay based on its capacity to pay its economy size.

Amy:

Exactly. And this money funds the regular budget, about $3.7 billion for 2025. And also peacekeeping, which is even larger, around $5.4 billion.

Ivan:

And the UK's share?

Amy:

The UK pays about 3.991% of the regular budget. So just under 4%. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Ivan:

Okay. That's the mandatory part. What's the other stream?

Amy:

Voluntary contributions. These are optional donations. They mostly go to specific UN agencies, think UNICEF, the World Food Program, and often they're earmarked, meaning the donor says exactly what project the money should be used for.

Ivan:

So the current crisis, it's hitting the mandatory funding.

Amy:

Entirely. The core problem is member states simply not paying their assessed contributions, not paying in full, or not paying on time. And some very big members are culprits.

Ivan:

How bad is the shortfall? The figures must be pretty large.

Amy:

They are staggering. As of October 2025, the UN was owed $1.8 billion just for the regular budget.

Ivan:

$1.8 billion.

Amy:

And another $3.7 billion for peacekeeping operations.

Ivan:

Wow. So combined it's $5.5 billion outstanding?

Amy:

Correct. A massive hole in the finances needed for basic operations and keeping peacekeepers in the field.

Ivan:

And who are the main debtors? You said some big players.

Amy:

This is where it gets uh politically very sensitive. The top three debtors are all P5 members, the very countries with the veto power.

Ivan:

You're kidding. Who?

Amy:

The United States owes the most by a huge margin. Nearly $1.5 billion. Uh $1.495 billion to be precise.

Ivan:

Almost $1.5 billion. Just from the U.S.

Amy:

Then China owes $192 million and Russia owes $72 million.

Ivan:

So the countries that effectively run the Security Council are also the ones withholding the funds needed to run the organization.

Amy:

It sends a very clear message, doesn't it? Deep dissatisfaction, maybe using funding as leverage. The U.S., for instance, has talked about wanting a strong return on our investment.

Ivan:

Treating it like a business investment rather than a commitment to a global body.

Amy:

That's certainly one interpretation. It suggests a very transactional view.

Ivan:

Is there any penalty for not paying?

Amy:

Well, Article 19 of the Charter says states that are two years or more in arrears can lose their vote in the General Assembly. It's not automatic, but it's a potential sanction.

Ivan:

But the immediate impact is practical, right? Operational cuts.

Amy:

Exactly. The Secretary General has already proposed a significantly reduced budget for 2026 down to $3.2 billion, and crucially an 18.8% cut in staffing across the board.

Ivan:

Nearly a fifth of the staff. That's huge. That must impact everything.

Amy:

Everything from policy work on climate change or poverty right through to critically peacekeeping resources. Peacekeeping is often the first thing hit when cash runs low, which directly affects the UN's credibility on the ground.

Ivan:

So this financial treasure cooker exists alongside deep political divisions.

Amy:

Profound divisions. You saw it clearly in the Security Council debate on the 80th anniversary itself, October 24th, 2025. The briefings described clear divides.

Ivan:

Russia was chairing that month, weren't they? Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.

Amy:

They were. And their statement, well, it reaffirmed commitment to the charter, but then immediately accused the West of dividing the world. A classic deflection tactic, some would say.

Ivan:

And how did the UK respond?

Amy:

According to the briefings, very directly. Accusing Russia of hypocrisy, specifically referencing the invasion of Ukraine as flagrantly contravening the prohibition on the use of force in the Charter, basically saying Russia's actions undermine the Council's entire purpose.

Ivan:

Aaron Powell So you've got veto-wielding members openly clashing over the fundamental rules while also withholding funds.

Amy:

And the largest funder, the U.S., talking about return on investment and inefficiencies. It all paints a picture of an organization under immense strain from multiple angles.

Ivan:

Aaron Powell Which leads us neatly to the UN AD initiative. This is the internal plan to fix things.

Amy:

It is. It's the Secretary General's big push to make the UN well fit for purpose in the 21st century, to tackle inefficiency and try to restore some sense of common purpose.

Ivan:

Aaron Powell And a key target is this idea of fragmentation, silos, duplication.

Amy:

Yes, and the scale of it is, frankly, mind-boggling when you see the numbers.

Ivan:

Well, give us some examples.

Amy:

Okay, get this. The UN system has apparently adopted over 40,000 different mandates over the years.

Ivan:

40,000.

Amy:

Delivered by over 140 different UN entities. And in the average country where the UN operates, there are around 20 distinct UN agencies on the ground.

Ivan:

20 different UN offices potentially doing similar things in the same place.

Amy:

You can see the potential for overlap, for inefficiency, for um coordination challenges, and the support structure needed is vast. The Secretariat Services, 27,000 meetings a year.

Ivan:

27,000.

Amy:

Processes, 2,300 pages of documents daily. Just the cost of processing all that paper is estimated at $360 million a year.

Ivan:

Just shuffling paper, essentially. So UN80 aims to cut through that.

Amy:

Radically. The initial proposals involved some pretty dramatic restructuring, actual mergers and closures of agencies.

Ivan:

Like what? Which agencies are potentially on the chopping flock?

Amy:

Well, one proposal mentioned is closing UNAIDS completely by the end of 2026.

Ivan:

UNAIDS, the main body coordinating the global response to HIVAIDS, closing it entirely.

Amy:

That's one of the initial quite drastic proposals highlighted. It shows how severe the thinking is around streamlining.

Ivan:

What about mergers?

Amy:

Significant ones proposed. Merging the UN Population Fund, UNFPA focused on sexual and reproductive health with UN women, the agency for gender equality.

Ivan:

Combining reproductive health and women's empowerment. That sounds complex.

Amy:

Aar

Ivan:

Potentially controversial, yes. And another big one: merging the UN Development Program, UNDP, which is huge, with the UN Office for Project Services, UNO PS, which handles logistics and project management. So we're really trying to consolidate major functions. These aren't minor tweaks.

Amy:

No, these are fundamental changes to how the UN delivers on development, health, human rights. It's driven by this need to reduce fragmentation and let's be frank, save money. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Ivan:

And the UK's view on these internal reforms.

Amy:

The UK government supports the UN 80 reform push. They want a more efficient UN, but there's a condition attached.

Ivan:

Uh, there's always a but.

Amy:

The message is clear. Underperforming multilateral organizations will face funding cuts in the future. So support for reform is tied directly to perceived performance and implicitly to member states actually paying their dues.

Ivan:

So it's a double bind. The UN needs reform because it's inefficient, partly due to fragmentation, but it also needs the money, which is being withheld partly because of perceived inefficiency in political dispute.

Amy:

Exactly. It's celebrating 80 years, a huge milestone, but facing this perfect storm, deep political divisions, especially among the P5, a severe funding crisis driven by those same key members, and now this urgent, potentially painful internal reform process.

Ivan:

It really forces a fundamental question about its future, doesn't it? Can these sweaking changes imposed under such duress actually work? Can they restore faith, unlock the funding, and make the UN effective for the challenges ahead? That's something for you, the listener, to really mull over.

Amy:

Indeed. Will forced internal reform be enough to overcome the external political and financial pressures?

Ivan:

As always, find us on social media at bench report UK. Get in touch with any topic important to you.

Amy:

Remember, politics is everyone's business.

Ivan:

Take care.

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