UN employees may not be paid salaries in November: Guterres

UN employees may not be paid salaries in November: Guterres

Operations in United Nations (UN) main hubs of New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi may be affected in what has been termed as the worst budget deficit in a decade.

A statement from the UN website said the UN might not have enough money to pay its staff in November.

“Vacant posts cannot be filled, travel will be limited to essential travel only, meetings may have to be canceled or deferred,” UN chief António Guterres told Member States earlier this week.

He said the organisation has spent the year taking drastic steps to save money and cut spending in order to fill budgetary gaps.

The US is among the countries which has not paid 22% of the annual budget.

It currently owes $674 million (approximately Ksh.68 billion) for this year’s budget.

US President Donald Trump has in the past complained that Washington bears too great a responsibility to the UN budget and has called for reforms.

According to the UN spokesperson report, only 129 of the 193 countries have already paid their fees for this year.

“The Organization runs the risk of depleting its liquidity reserves by the end of the month and defaulting on payments to staff and vendors,” Guterres added.

The UN regular budget pays for political, humanitarian, disarmament, economic and communication projects.

The UN peacekeeping budget, which includes the UN’s military personnel, is funded separately.

Tags:

United Nations

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories