In this advance online publication of the article ‘The perfect UN financing storm has arrived: It’s a tsunami!’, which is coming out in the upcoming 11th Financing the UN Development System report, John Hendra brings his experienced voice to discuss the implications of not only the current steep cuts in voluntary funding but also the on-going UN liquidity crisis on the critical work of the UN more broadly, and the UN development system in particular.
After reviewing the trends of the last three years, the massive cuts in voluntary funding in the first few months of 2025 and immediate prospects, he focuses on the importance of ensuring success of the UN80 Initiative and building Member State ownership for more far-reaching UN reform. In doing so he focuses on whether possible UN reforms under the UN80 initiative ‘meet the moment’ of such unprecedented times while preserving the unique elements that only UN support can bring.