UN at 80 Faces Funding Shortfalls, Deadlocked Security Council

At the 80th U.N. General Assembly, the world body is confronting a sharp test as more armed conflicts rage than at any time since 1945 and the Security Council is deadlocked over crises including Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel-Palestine. Chronic funding shortfalls—compounded by delayed or reduced member-state contributions and recent U.S. funding cuts under the Trump administration—have left major humanitarian responses severely underfunded and the U.N.’s mandates outstripped by resources. Policymakers are weighing alternatives such as greater voluntary financing from philanthropies, corporations and wealthy donors, which could provide flexible, fast funding but risk skewing priorities toward private agendas. At this year’s high-level meetings many countries are signaling a political shift on Palestine, with several expected to recognize statehood as part of efforts to revive a two-state solution amid the Gaza war. Public opinion in the United States broadly supports continued U.S. involvement and funding of the U.N., even as relatively few Americans think the organization is doing a good job. Analysts warn that without renewed, predictable political commitment and financing—public or private—the U.N. will likely remain unable to respond adequately to simultaneous global crises.