United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sent an official letter to member states warning of the virtual depletion of the organization's financial reserves and the threat of a complete shutdown. According to the UN chief, the organization is on the brink of financial collapse due to unprecedented debt, which has now reached $1,6 billion. Guterres emphasized that the current situation resembles a "Kafkaesque cycle," in which the international institution is suffering a double blow: chronic non-payment of mandatory contributions by a number of countries is coupled with bureaucratic demands for the return of budget funds that have never actually been deposited.

In his address, the Secretary-General expressed extreme concern that the UN is being asked to fulfill financial obligations in the complete absence of real resources. This "non-existent money" trap jeopardizes not only the administrative functioning of headquarters but also the implementation of key humanitarian and peacekeeping missions around the world. Experts note that the current crisis is the most severe in the organization's history, and the reluctance of major contributors to promptly repay their debts indicates a profound crisis of trust in the institutions of multilateral diplomacy. If the situation is not resolved promptly, the UN may face the need for radical staff reductions and the scaling back of global aid programs in conflict zones.