*NEW YORK – The United Nations is running a deficit of $230 million,Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday and may run out of moneyby the end of October.*
In a letter intended for the 37,000 employees at the UN secretariat andobtained by *AFP*, Guterres said unspecified “additional stop-gap measures”would have to be taken to ensure salaries and entitlements are paid.
“Member States have paid only 70 percent of the total amount needed for ourregular budget operations in 2019. This translates into a cash shortage of$230 million at the end of September. We run the risk of depleting ourbackup liquidity reserves by the end of the month,” he wrote.
To cut costs, Guterres mentioned postponing conferences and meetings andreducing services, while also restricting official travel to only essentialactivities and taking measures to save energy.
Guterres had asked member states earlier this year to up contributions tothe world body to head off cash flow problems, but they refused, a UNofficial said on condition of anonymity.
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“The ultimate responsibility for our financial health lies with the MemberStates,” Guterres said.
Not including what it pays for peacekeeping operations, the UN’s operatingbudget for 2018-2019 is close to $5.4 billion, with the United Statescontributing 22 percent. -APP/AFP
