<p class="title">The United Nations is running a deficit of USD 230 million, Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, and may run out of money by the end of October.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a letter intended for the 37,000 employees at the UN secretariat and obtained by AFP, Guterres said on Monday unspecified "additional stop-gap measures" would have to be taken to ensure salaries and entitlements are paid.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Member States have paid only 70 per cent of the total amount needed for our regular budget operations in 2019. This translates into a cash shortage of USD 230 million at the end of September. We run the risk of depleting our backup liquidity reserves by the end of the month," he wrote.</p>.<p class="bodytext">To cut costs, Guterres mentioned postponing conferences and meetings and reducing services, while also restricting official travel to only essential activities and taking measures to save energy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Guterres had asked member states earlier this year to up contributions to the world body to head off cash flow problems, but they refused, a UN official said on condition of anonymity.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The ultimate responsibility for our financial health lies with the Member States," Guterres said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Not including what it pays for peacekeeping operations, the UN's operating budget for 2018-2019 is close to USD 5.4 billion, with the United States contributing 22 per cent.</p>
<p class="title">The United Nations is running a deficit of USD 230 million, Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, and may run out of money by the end of October.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a letter intended for the 37,000 employees at the UN secretariat and obtained by AFP, Guterres said on Monday unspecified "additional stop-gap measures" would have to be taken to ensure salaries and entitlements are paid.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Member States have paid only 70 per cent of the total amount needed for our regular budget operations in 2019. This translates into a cash shortage of USD 230 million at the end of September. We run the risk of depleting our backup liquidity reserves by the end of the month," he wrote.</p>.<p class="bodytext">To cut costs, Guterres mentioned postponing conferences and meetings and reducing services, while also restricting official travel to only essential activities and taking measures to save energy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Guterres had asked member states earlier this year to up contributions to the world body to head off cash flow problems, but they refused, a UN official said on condition of anonymity.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The ultimate responsibility for our financial health lies with the Member States," Guterres said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Not including what it pays for peacekeeping operations, the UN's operating budget for 2018-2019 is close to USD 5.4 billion, with the United States contributing 22 per cent.</p>