Survival of the UN during temporary truancy of USA by Kul Gautam

At a time when some powerful leaders are denigrating and undermining the UN and multilateralism more broadly, it is good to see some voices suggesting ways in which the UN can survive and innovate. 

It would be in the long-term interest of the UN to reduce its reliance on just a few big government donors and find more innovative ways not just to finance but also to apply new techniques and technologies to make the UN and especially its development and humanitarian agencies more effective.  

Here is how a US diplomat thinks the UN can survive without the US, at least temporarily, and my rejoinder from a few years ago. 

Kul

The UN Can Survive Without the US
Chris Lu — PassBlue September 18, 2025 

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Summary
Chris Lu argues that even as U.S. financial and moral support for the UN retreats, multilateral institutions remain capable of surviving — and even adapting — without Washington. Key steps include reforming UN funding sources, trimming duplicative agencies, welcoming more private-sector participation, and pushing for emerging powers to share responsibility. He draws on recent examples — such as global conferences where most countries adopted commitments without U.S. participation — to show that multilateralism can still function. 

Quotes

“The world can’t afford to abandon the mission of the UN simply because its founding architect has retreated.” 
“If the UN is to endure, it must rethink how to do its work and who funds it.”
“An equitable and effective UN can’t rely on its top two donors for over 40 percent of its funding.” 

Wanted: Bold Leadership by António Guterres: On Sustainable Funding of United Nations
Kul Chandra Gautam — Inter Press Service (IPS), October 11, 2019
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Summary
Kul Chandra Gautam, former UNICEF Deputy Executive Director and UN Assistant Secretary-General, warns that the UN faces yet another financial crisis, with some 64 member states in arrears in 2019, including wealthy nations such as the U.S., Israel, and Saudi Arabia. He argues that Secretary-General António Guterres must move beyond appeals for payment and show bold leadership by advancing structural reforms for sustainable funding. Proposals include capping any one country’s assessed contribution at 10% to reduce dependence on the U.S., and pursuing innovative financing such as taxes on financial transactions, carbon emissions, or arms sales. Gautam stresses that the UN’s entire annual budget remains modest compared to global military spending, yet its work is essential. He urges Guterres to seize the UN’s 75th anniversary as a moment to leave a lasting legacy by reshaping UN financing.

Quotes

“This is a recurrent problem that severely hampers the Secretariat’s ability to fulfil its obligations to the people we serve.”

“It is time for the Secretary-General himself to take the initiative and commission a high-level panel to propose a more predictable and sustainable funding of the UN.”

“The spirit of the Palme proposal was to protect the UN from being unduly influenced by and vulnerable to the whims of such donors.”

“In a world economy of $88 trillion and global military budgets of $1.8 trillion per year, the UN’s regular annual budget is only $3.3 billion… a modest amount to respond to the huge challenges the UN is asked to tackle.”