Financing is another enduring problem for the UN.

Its cash flow problems, triggered as a result of withholding or delaying payment of assessed contributions by member states, has been so severe that Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, once said he wished he could sell his official four-story residence in New York to fill the gap. One UN official even joked that the UN was the biggest beggar in the world.

In May, 2020, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said there was still 1.62 billion U.S. dollars unpaid for the UN's 2020 regular budget, and 2.12 billion U.S. dollars outstanding in the peacekeeping budget.