1,200+ Feminist Organisations and Allies call on the United Nations’ Members to ”Pay up now!”

To: United Nations’ Member States

1,200+ Feminist Civil Society Organisations and Allies call on the UN’s Member States to ”Defend multilateralism, democracy and human rights. Pay up now!”

Joint statement led by Women’s Major Group
Global | 9 February 2026

Download this statement as a pdf

The United Nations is facing an imminent financial collapse, after more than a year of warnings from the Secretary-General. The “austerity” measures started in 2024, continued to this day, and the lay-offs and unfilled positions in 2025 were not enough to fill the gap. If the crisis is not addressed urgently, core UN operations may be disrupted within months, including the possible partial closure of UN Headquarters by summer. This is not an abstract budget issue, but a direct threat to the functioning of the multilateral system and will contribute to the existing democratic vacuum.

Under-funding as a political tool

The current crisis is the result of deliberate political decisions by powerful Member States to withhold or delay the payment of assessed contributions. As highlighted in the NY Times article “U.N. Says It’s in Danger of Financial Collapse Because of Unpaid Dues”, more than 95 percent of what is owed to the UN’s regular budget is owed by the United States. (Footnote 1) As of the early-year benchmark on 8 February, 55 of the UN’s 193 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full, a notable increase compared to previous years, signalling that many Member States are stepping in to respond to the severity of the situation. (Footnote 2)

We have also taken note of recent public statements indicating that the United States may make an initial payment towards its arrears. (Footnote 3) While any payment is welcome, announcements of intent do not resolve the current crisis. What is urgently required is the full and timely payment of assessed contributions, in line with legal obligations, to restore stability and confidence in the multilateral system.

Nevertheless, chronic underfunding is being used as a tool of political pressure against global governance, democracy, and human rights; all of which the UN exists to defend and support. Rather than confronting the political use of non-payment, the response from both UN leadership and other Member States has largely been one of adaptation and compliance, shifting the burden onto programmes, staff, and mandates. Allowing the UN to become this financially fragile sets a dangerous precedent for global governance, democracy and human rights at a time of escalating global crises.

Why we need multilateralism

The UN is not a perfect system and is in urgent need of reform, including to address power imbalances, accountability gaps, and legitimacy concerns. However, it remains the only existing global, rules-based, intergovernmental systemwith a universal mandate. Providing a platform for cooperation on complex, transboundary challenges such as peacekeeping and conflict prevention, human rights protection, humanitarian response, and climate action.

Undermining or abandoning multilateralism in the absence of a democratic alternative risks replacing it with elite-controlled or authoritarian governance models. As illustrated by initiatives such as the so-called “Board of Peace,” where founding members could not attend the signing ceremony in Davos because they are wanted war criminals.

The UN’s financial crisis is unfolding amid overlapping global crises: climate breakdown, accelerating biodiversity loss, war and militarisation, rising authoritarianism, and deepening inequalities. These challenges cannot be addressed through nationalism, militarisation, profit-driven, unregulated capitalism or fragmented responses. At a moment when planetary boundaries are being crossed one by one, intercontinental cooperation is not optional — it becomes existential.

Feminist stakes and UN reform processes

Feminist movements are currently engaged in struggles to strengthen gender equality, human rights, “gender architecture,” and accountability within UN reform processes, including the UN80 agenda. These efforts risk becoming meaningless if the institution itself becomes inoperable due to financial collapse.

A weakened UN does not only affect specific groups or communities; it undermines the systems that people everywhere rely on for protection, accountability, and cooperation. International norms and mechanisms shape responses to conflict, humanitarian crises, labour rights, environmental protection, public health, and access to justice. All of which have direct consequences for everyday lives, livelihoods, and safety.

At the same time, the erosion of multilateral institutions deepens precarity and insecurity, shifting risks and costs onto people rather than systems. When global cooperation weakens, inequalities widen, protections erode, and democratic safeguards are hollowed out, accelerating democratic backsliding and the consolidation of more unequal and authoritarian arrangements.

For feminists, this means not only fighting for progress, but increasingly fighting to retain hard-won gains, gains that are proving far more fragile than previously assumed.

Reform must not happen under duress

While the UN is clearly in need of reform, reform processes driven by financial duress raise serious questions about democratic legitimacy. Restructuring global governance under the threat of institutional collapse risks privileging power over participation, and expediency over accountability.

Reform must take place through democratic, transparent, and inclusive processes, not under financial blackmail or political coercion. Allowing the UN to be pushed into crisis undermines the legitimacy of any reform outcomes.

Call to action: Prevent collapse, defend multilateralism

We, the undersigned, call on UN Member States and philanthropic actors to act urgently to prevent the collapse of the United Nations and to defend multilateralism at a moment of escalating global crises.

We call on Member States with outstanding assessed contributions, particularly major contributors, to immediately fulfil their legal financial obligations. Assessed contributions are mandatory, not optional. Withholding payment as a political tool undermines global governance, international law, and the credibility of the multilateral system.

At the same time, we urge other Member States to act collectively to prevent immediate institutional collapse, including by taking temporary measures to stabilise the UN’s core budget. Such steps must not normalise chronic non payment by powerful states, nor shift responsibility away from those deliberately withholding their dues.

“We call on Member States to collectively and publicly insist that all major contributors, including the United States, fully and promptly meet their assessed financial obligations, and to maintain political pressure until outstanding arrears are cleared in full.”

We call on philanthropic actors to consider providing temporary, unconditional bridge support to protect essential UN functions, on the clear understanding that such support must not influence mandates, priorities, or governance structures, nor accelerate the privatisation of multilateralism. This support would provide short-term liquidity within existing UN frameworks and would not replace Member State obligations.

Finally, we stress that UN reform must not be driven by financial duress. Reform processes must be democratic, transparent, and inclusive, and protected from capture by profit driven or authoritarian interests. Preventing collapse is a prerequisite for meaningful and legitimate reform.

Footnotes

1. Farge, E., & Brunnstrom, D. (2026, February 4). Explainer: Why is UN warning of ‘imminent financial collapse’? Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/why-is-un-warning-imminent-financial-collapse-2026-02-04/ 
2. Assessed contributions are mandatory and calculated based on a country’s capacity to pay, including the size of its economy, income level, and debt burden. While a higher number of Member States have paid in full this year compared to previous year,, the UN continues to operate for much of the year without most Members having settled their dues. The data does not indicate what share of the total assessed budget these payments represent, making it difficult to assess the scale of unpaid contributions. This underscores why it is insufficient to simply ask others to fill gaps created when a small number of Member States withhold payment as political leverage. Learn more about assessed contributions: https://www.un.org/en/ga/contributions/honourroll.shtml
3. Reuters. (2026, February 7). U.S. plans initial payment toward billions owed to U.N., envoy Waltz says. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/us-plans-initial-payment-towards-billions-owed-un-envoy-waltz-2026-02-07/

 Statements by other feminist groups

• The Young Feminist Caucus’ statement: “The United Nations’ Financial Crisis: An Urgent Duty to Defend and Fund Multilateralism” (link)
• Global South Coalition on SRHR and Development Justice’s statement: “A call to action: safeguarding SRHR in the UN80 reform” (link)

Signed by

Women’s Major Group, and the following 565 organisations as well as 697 individuals, from 123 countries (updated 17:46 CET, 18 Feb 2026)