The United Nations peacekeeping operations are confronting an unprecedented financial crisis that is forcing the withdrawal of approximately 25 percent of peacekeepers worldwide, threatening the safety of hundreds of thousands of civilians in conflict zones across the globe.
At the start of the current budget cycle in July 2025, the funding shortfall reached over $2 billion, more than 35 percent of peacekeeping's $5.6 billion annual budget, according to the official UN peacekeeping website. This crisis stems from the delayed or non-payment of assessed contributions by member states, particularly the United States and other major contributors, directly undermining the UN's ability to deliver peace and security objectives mandated by the Security Council.
"We have no choice but to implement the plans to prevent the financial collapse of the operations, and we obviously profoundly regret having to do this, but we have, again, no other option," said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, during a press briefing on October 8.
The General Assembly approved a $5.38 billion peacekeeping budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year in June, down from $5.59 billion the previous year. However, the gap between approved budgets and actual cash available has created a liquidity crisis that the UN Secretary General António Guterres has called "more daunting than ever."
In response to the funding shortfall, the UN Secretary General has directed all peacekeeping missions to identify reductions in expenditures equal to 15 percent of their annual budgets. Because this must be implemented within just nine months, and due to the costs associated with repatriating peacekeepers and their equipment, this translates into a 25 percent reduction in uniformed military and police personnel, as well as significant cuts to civilian staff.
Senior UN officials speaking to media on condition of anonymity has confirmed that between 13,000 and 14,000 troops and police officers will be repatriated from their posts in the coming months. The affected missions include those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Lebanon, Kosovo, Cyprus, Western Sahara, the Golan Heights, and Abyei.
The United States, as the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, bears 26.95 percent of the total budget. However, Washington was already $1.5 billion in arrears before the new financial year began on July 1, according to UN officials. The US now owes an additional $1.3 billion, bringing its total outstanding peacekeeping debt to more than $2.8 billion, as reported by UN official documents presented to the Fifth Committee.
In August, President Donald Trump unilaterally canceled approximately $800 million in peacekeeping funding that had been appropriated for 2024 and 2025. While the US government has communicated its intention to make an imminent payment of $680 million, this covers only a fraction of the amounts owed.
The Fifth Committee's October 2025 report on the financial situation noted that as of September 30, only 54 member states had paid their mandatory peacekeeping contributions in full, compared to 59 a year earlier. Beyond the United States, other major debtors include China, which owes $685 million, the Russian Federation with $199 million in arrears, Venezuela owing $94 million, and Ukraine with $79 million outstanding.
UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan has repeatedly warned delegates about the fragility of the organization's liquidity situation, stating that approved budgets are often undermined by cash shortages. "No money, no implementation. There is not enough cash," he told the Fifth Committee in May 2025, emphasizing the need for a massive collective effort to address the underlying financial problems that have plagued the UN for decades.
The impact of these cuts will be severe and immediate. Fewer peacekeepers in the field means reduced patrols to monitor ceasefires, fewer safe zones for civilians, and diminished capacity to respond to threats and protect vulnerable populations. The Department of Peace Operations has warned that the reductions will compromise support for humanitarian relief operations in some of the world's most volatile regions.
"Our peacekeepers, your peacekeepers, protect people, they make the difference between life and death for hundreds of thousands of civilians," Lacroix emphasized during an address to defense officials and diplomats at a peacekeeping conference in New Delhi in mid-October.
Reduced UN presence also risks creating security vacuums in fragile areas, potentially emboldening armed actors and undermining hard-won progress toward peace. The remaining peacekeepers will face greater risks as smaller, less-resourced contingents become more exposed to threats without necessary logistical and operational support.
Bangladesh, a major troop contributor, has been officially notified that at least 1,313 of its peacekeepers will be repatriated within the next nine months from five different missions, according to diplomatic sources cited by Bangladeshi media. The Office of Military Affairs under the UN Department of Peace Operations sent formal notification to Bangladesh's permanent mission in New York on October 14.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon confirmed that budget shortfalls will directly impact its operations in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel stated that the mission is "still studying what the peacekeeping budget shortfalls will mean for our mission in south Lebanon, but we know we have some hard decisions ahead of us."
During his visit to South Sudan and Abyei in mid October, Under Secretary General Lacroix briefed local political leaders and communities on the impact of the financial crisis. He stressed that despite the 15 percent budget reduction requirement, missions remain committed to protecting civilians and preserving core mandates. "We are doing everything possible to reduce the impact of the liquidity crisis on the mandate. By implementing cost saving measures, we are not disengaging, rather we are taking measures that will allow us to meaningfully sustain our engagement within the current resource constraints moving forward," he said in Abyei on October 16.
The financial crisis also affects the UN's ability to reimburse troop contributing countries, many of which are low-income nations from the developing world. The UN pays countries approximately $1,400 per peacekeeper per month to cover deployment costs. Major troop contributors include Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Pakistan. When member states fail to pay their assessed contributions on time, the UN effectively borrows from these troop contributing countries, imposing a significant financial burden on nations that can least afford it.
Secretary General Guterres has called on all member states to pay their agreed contributions in full and on time, emphasizing that without predictable, adequate, and timely financing, peacekeeping cannot deliver on its Security Council mandates. "In trouble spots around the world, blue helmets can mean the difference between life and death," he said at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in May 2025. "They are also a clear demonstration of the power of multilateral action to maintain, achieve and sustain peace."
UN peacekeeping accounts for less than half of one percent of global military spending, which was estimated at $2.4 trillion in 2023. Yet this relatively modest investment plays a crucial role in containing conflicts, helping ceasefires hold, protecting civilians, and creating conditions for humanitarian aid delivery in the world's most dangerous regions.
Every UN member state is legally obligated to pay their respective share toward peacekeeping based on a formula that considers factors such as relative wealth. The peacekeeping budgets are approved annually by the UN General Assembly. However, the persistent failure of major contributors to meet their financial obligations threatens to undermine decades of peacekeeping work and jeopardize the safety of millions of people living in conflict zones.
As the UN marks its 80th anniversary this year, the organization faces what General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock described in October as "a make or break moment, politically and financially." Without immediate action from member states to fulfill their legal obligations, the world's primary mechanism for maintaining international peace and security faces an uncertain future.
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