The United States faces the tangible prospect of losing its voting privileges within the United Nations General Assembly, a UN spokesperson confirmed on Thursday. This potential suspension stems from the country’s continued failure to fulfill its financial obligations to the world body.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, explicitly referenced Article 19 of the UN Charter when addressing inquiries about member states in arrears. “The Charter is clear about what happens when a country doesn’t pay its dues for a certain number of years,” Dujarric stated. “It’s not a decision of the Secretary-General. It’s in the Charter, and it implies that at some point a country may lose its vote in the General Assembly.”
The spokesperson confirmed that the United States did not make its required financial contributions to the United Nations in 2025, adding to existing arrears. According to Article 19 provisions, a member state loses its General Assembly voting rights if its unpaid dues equal or exceed the contributions required for the preceding two full years. The only exception occurs if the General Assembly determines that the payment failure resulted from circumstances beyond the member’s control.
This development coincides with increased U.S. disengagement from multilateral institutions. A presidential memorandum signed Wednesday indicated the United States intends to withdraw from 66 international organizations, signaling a broader pattern of retreat from global cooperation frameworks. The combination of financial delinquency and institutional withdrawal represents a significant shift in American foreign policy engagement with international institutions.