Even as the United Nations seeks massive aid for the wasteful spending on Palestinians through UNRWA, it is grappling with a severe liquidity crisis that has forced it to implement cost-cutting measures, including a hiring freeze, reduced air conditioning, and earlier closing times for entry gates, according to a report by Bloomberg. The budgetary constraints have had real-world consequences, hampering the UN's ability to fulfill its mandates, such as addressing humanitarian crises and monitoring political developments in various countries. Key Security Council meetings have been cut short due to the costs associated with running them, which can reach $15,000 per session, the US outlet said.
But this has not stopped it from acitvely seeking immense funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), notorious for its misconduct and wasteful spending on Palestinian who are not even refugees and whose staff has been complicit in the Oct. 7 attack.
The budgetary constraints have had real-world consequences, hampering the UN's ability to fulfill its mandates, such as addressing humanitarian crises and monitoring political developments in various countries. Key Security Council meetings have been cut short due to the costs associated with running them, which can reach $15,000 per session.
The UN is currently owed more than $1.7 billion by member states, with the United States and China owing a combined $1.14 billion in assessed contributions for this year alone. The financial struggles have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and the Trump administration's decision to cut funding for humanitarian and development efforts. "The UN's financial woes have turned into a full-blown liquidity crisis," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a letter to member states in January, as cited by Bloomberg.
UN officials and diplomats have expressed concerns that the situation could worsen if former President Donald Trump is re-elected in November, as he is expected to further reduce U.S. funding for the organization, according to the report.
