The United Nations General Assembly approved a $3.45 billion regular budget for 2026 on December 30, 2025, marking a significant step in the organisation’s efficiency drive under the UN80 reform initiative.
This amount, authorised for the calendar year, funds core activities across peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights. It represents a roughly 7 per cent reduction from the 2025 budget of approximately $3.72 billion, while exceeding Secretary-General António Guterres’ revised proposal of $3.238 billion by about $200 million.
Negotiations in the Fifth Committee, the Assembly’s administrative and budgetary arm, culminated in this outcome after weeks of intensive discussions. The budget incorporates substantial cuts proposed under UN80, a system-wide reform launched in 2025 to mark the UN’s 80th anniversary and enhance agility amid financial pressures.
UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan commended delegates for concluding a “complex and compressed process” on time. He noted that the Secretariat had prepared the budget in under six weeks, addressing extensive queries from member states.
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Implementation will involve abolishing 2,900 positions starting January 1, 2026, with over 1,000 staff separations already processed. Ramanathan stressed careful management of transitions to maintain salaries and entitlements for affected personnel.
He welcomed record advance payments from member states and urged prompt settlement of assessed contributions to ease liquidity strains. Persistent arrears, largely attributed to delayed payments including from major contributors like the United States, have heightened financial fragility.
The regular budget is distinct from peacekeeping operations, which follow a July-to-June cycle and were separately approved at $5.38 billion for 2025–2026.
UN80 aims to streamline operations, reduce duplication, and realign resources for greater impact. Initial efficiencies are reflected in the 2026 figures, including a 15 per cent resource cut and nearly 19 per cent staffing reduction from original proposals.
