In the aftermath of dwindling global confidence in the United Nations peacekeeping efficacy exacerbated by its inability to meaningfully intervene in Gaza, the world body finds itself in a deeper, more perilous crisis: a dramatic collapse in funding. This funding shortfall, most notably marked by a staggering 30–35 per cent decline in US contributions since pre-2023 levels, has reverberated through every UN agency. From child welfare to global health to humanitarian relief, the UN system is now struggling to breathe.

Veterans within the UN are sounding the alarm. Jose Suarez, a 47-year-old UNICEF Deputy Director, bluntly stated, “We can no longer rely solely on state funding and conventional philanthropy." In response, UNICEF has announced sweeping cost-cutting measures, including relocating key operations away from New York to regional hubs in Nairobi, Bangkok, and Amman. Meanwhile, at the UN Secretariat, Suparna Banerjee lamented the vanishing of humanitarian funds meant to safeguard the world’s most vulnerable as nothing short of catastrophic.

For many, this is the most consequential unravelling of the multilateral framework since its post-World War II inception. WHO public health veteran Dr. Manish Parmar, preparing for retirement, called the current situation “the brink" for global health efforts. WHO is now over $1.1 billion short of its 2024–2025 budget needs. The World Food Programme is laying off 6,000 staff. UNHCR, the agency responsible for global refugee welfare, is operating in triage mode. What was once the bedrock of global humanitarian response now teeters on collapse.

Even traditional allies of the UN Europe and the United Kingdom have reduced their commitments. While........

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