Pakistan reaffirms peacekeeping amid United Nations funding crisis

United Nations New York – (Web Desk) – Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has cautioned that the organization’s worsening cash shortage is directly affecting its peacekeeping missions.

He echoed serious concerns raised by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who recently warned that the UN could face a financial collapse if member countries fail to pay their dues on time or if budget rules are not reformed.

These rules currently require the UN to return unused funds, even when it is struggling with cash flow.

By the end of 2025, unpaid contributions had reached a record $1.57 billion, putting global peacekeeping efforts and key UN programmes at risk.

Speaking at the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, Ambassador Iftikhar said the financial crisis is making it harder for missions to carry out their responsibilities, including protecting civilians, preventing violence, and ensuring the safety of peacekeepers.

He stressed that UN peacekeeping remains a vital tool for maintaining global peace and stability, but it is now facing increasing political, operational, and financial challenges that demand urgent collective action.

Highlighting Pakistan’s longstanding role, the ambassador noted that the country hosts one of the UN’s oldest missions, the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, and has been one of the largest troop contributors for more than 60 years.

He also paid tribute to the 182 Pakistani peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag, adding that over 250,000 Pakistani personnel have participated in 48 missions across four continents.

The envoy cautioned that declining financial commitments and shrinking missions without a clear strategic direction could affect the readiness of troop-contributing countries, including standby arrangements, rapid deployment capabilities and specialized units.

Calling reform necessary, he said peacekeeping must become more agile, focused and better equipped to address evolving threats, including through technology and stronger partnerships.

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Pakistan Warns UN Liquidity Crisis Is Undermining Peacekeeping

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He stressed that protection of civilians, deterrence against violations, and ceasefire monitoring and verification remain core tasks, adding that lack of political progress should not be used as a pretext to withdraw missions.

Without naming the United States, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said earlier this month the UN’s “cash-flow problem” could be solved if member states, who have an obligation to pay, pay.”

The crunch comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has launched a ‘Board of Peace’ with himself as lifetime chair, which some fear could undermine the UN, a body with 193 member states formed in the ashes of World War Two that works to maintain international peace and security.

Under Trump, as well as refusing to make mandatory payments to the UN’s regular and peacekeeping budgets, the US has slashed voluntary funding to UN agencies with their own budgets, and moved to exit US organizations, including the World Health Organization.

In December, the UN appealed for a 2026 aid budget only half the size of what it had hoped for in 2025, acknowledging a plunge in donor funding at a time when humanitarian needs have never been greater.

Guterres launched a reform task force last year, UN80, seeking to cut costs and improve efficiency. The approved 2026 regular budget is roughly $200 million higher than he proposed, but about 7% lower than the approved 2025 budget.

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Guterres warned in his letter that the UN could run out of cash by July and cited a “Kafkaesque” requirement for it to credit back hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent dues to states each year, even if it never received the money. UN officials hope to overhaul this “bizarre” rule, which Guterres has called “a race to bankruptcy.”