UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States has paid about $160 million of the nearly $4 billion it owes the United Nations, the U.N. said Thursday, and President Donald Trump promised more money to the financially strapped world organization.
The Trump administration’s payment last week is earmarked for the U.N.’s regular operating budget, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told The Associated Press.
The U.N. has said the United States owes $2.196 billion to its regular budget, including $767 million for this year, as well as $1.8 billion to a separate budget for the far-flung U.N. peacekeeping operations.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned late last month that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States.
He said in a letter to all member nations that cash for the regular budget could run out by July, which could dramatically affect U.N. operations.
U.N. officials have said 95% of the overdue payments to the U.N.’s regular budget is from the United States.
The disclosure of the U.S. payment came as Trump convened the first meeting of the Board of Peace, a new initiative initially meant to oversee the Gaza ceasefire but whose wider ambitions under Trump many see as an attempt to rival the U.N. Security Council’s role in preventing and ending conflict around the world.
Trump has said the United Nations has not lived up to its potential and has withdrawn the U.S. from U.N. organizations, including the World Health Organization and the cultural agency UNESCO, while pulling funding from dozens of others.
At the Board of Peace meeting Thursday in Washington, Trump was much more positive than he has been in the past about the future of the United Nations, which was established on the ashes of World War II.
He said his administration was going to be working “very closely” with the U.N., adding, “Someday, I won’t be here — the United Nations will be.”
Trump said the Board of Peace “is going to almost be looking over the United Nations,” strengthening it and making sure its facilities are good and it runs properly.
“They need help, and they need help moneywise,” the president said, never mentioning that the U.S. failure to pay its dues is a key reason for the U.N.’s financial crisis.
“We’re going to help them moneywise, and we’re going to make sure the United Nations is viable,” Trump said. “And I think it’s going to eventually live up to its potential. That will be a big day.”
He did not say when any future payments would be made.
Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, said last week that Guterres has been in touch with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz “for quite some time” and that the U.N.’s controller also has been in touch with U.S. officials about the arrears.
The U.N. said 55 countries paid their annual dues for 2026 by the Feb. 8 due date.
FILE - The symbol of the United Nations is displayed outside the Secretariat Building, Feb. 28, 2022, at United Nations Headquarters. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 20, 2026--
Chef Tom Shibley has had an interesting culinary career at upscale restaurants and catering jobs for high-profile events. But he found that the instability of the industry and lack of benefits like healthcare weren’t conducive to supporting a family.
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“Unless I worked at a large chain restaurant – which I didn’t want to do – I knew I needed to find another opportunity and just do culinary part time,” explained Chef Shibley. “But now I’ve found the best of both worlds – immersed in the culinary profession while teaching young people how to explore their creativity through food.”
As a culinary instructor at Assurance Learning Academy, a public high school part of the Learn4Life network in California, Shibley has the stability he sought along with the fulfilling challenge of teaching and inspiring young people.
“This is my dream job that I didn't really know existed,” he added.
Even as Career Technical Education (CTE) becomes more popular among students, 1 nearly a third of schools report difficulty finding instructors for their CTE programs. 2 The challenges for schools are many – such as the disparity between salaries in the private sector and public schools.
Then getting credentialed can be tedious. State and local school districts require potential CTE teachers to complete basic teacher training along with demonstrating time and knowledge in a given industry – before they can be hired.
“I went through the state and county websites to provide required information, proof of education and work history, along with letters of recommendation. That enabled me to earn a preliminary certificate – enough for Learn4Life to begin the interview and hiring process,” he said. “Now I’m going through a state-approved online program for my permanent teaching credential while I’m working. It should take about two years.”
Leticia Sanchez, who teaches graphic arts and multi-media CTE classes at Learn4Life Assurance Learning Academy, had a similar experience in her industry. She worked for small design studios and found the project-based work to be inconsistent.
“We had some fantastic 3-D modeling and animation projects, but once a job was completed, we would get laid off and have to start the search again,” she said. “I’ve been teaching digital media arts to high school students at Learn4Life for nine years and every day is rewarding. I’m so proud of my students.”
Learn4Life is a network of 80+ public charter high schools that offers personalized learning, flexibility and job training. Students benefit from a wide array of CTE classes, ranging from certified nursing and dental assistants to business, construction and logistics.
“We want to let professionals know that when they’re ready for a career change, schools like ours will eagerly tap their vast expertise for the benefit of students seeking a career path,” said Chef Shibley. “We will help with the certification process and provide support from the entire education staff.”
February is CTE Month, highlighting the many opportunities for youth and how CTE prepares students for careers and college. For more information, visit https://learn4life.org/about/programs/career-technical-education-cte/.
About Learn4Life
Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 64,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit www.learn4life.org.
1https://www.edweek.org/leadership/cte-grows-in-popularity-among-students-but-teachers-are-tough-to-find/2025/01
2https://careertech.org/blog/research-round-up-what-research-says-about-supporting-the-cte-educator-workforce/
Learn4Life high school students practice culinary skills taught by a chef, highlighting the popularity of CTE courses that are facing a shortage of credentialed industry professionals to teach
