UNITED NATIONS — The United States has paid $725 million to the United Nations, reducing its outstanding debt and protecting its voting rights at the General Assembly, the organisation said on Wednesday.
The UN also received an additional $102 million from Washington for peacekeeping operations last Friday, spokesperson Farhan Haq said. Despite the payments, the United States still owes approximately $1.312 billion to the UN’s regular budget.
“With these payments, the U.S. is no longer in jeopardy of falling under Article 19 for 2027,” Haq said.
Under Article 19 of the UN Charter, a member state can lose its voting rights in the General Assembly if its unpaid contributions exceed the amount due for two full years. Special exemptions may be granted in certain circumstances.
The payment comes as the Trump administration pushes to reduce US government spending and has sharply cut funding for several UN agencies. American officials have indicated that future payments could depend on the organisation implementing further reforms.
The United States remains the largest contributor to the UN budget but has delayed some mandatory payments for the regular and peacekeeping budgets while reducing voluntary contributions to specialised UN agencies.
China, the second-largest contributor, paid $641.4 million towards its regular budget contribution on Sept. 1, according to UN records. The UN is currently carrying out a reform and cost-cutting programme known as “UN80” as it confronts a growing financial crisis.