The UN’s ‘deadbeat dads’ are bleeding it dry. Here’s how to break the cycle

It is easy to be dismissive of the

latest warning from the United Nations

that it is facing a severe cash crunch, to the extent that it may not be able to hold its annual New York summit this year. Such warnings come around often enough, and the public declarations and performative gestures can sometimes be so over the top that they undermine themselves.

In December 2025, for example, the world body sought to signal it was committed to austerity by stopping the provision of paper hand towels in office toilets at its New York City headquarters, urging workers to use hand dryers instead in a bid to save some US$100,000 (S$127,300) annually.