US may lose voting rights at UNGA at certain point: UN spokesperson

The United States may lose its voting rights at the UN General Assembly at some point if it does not pay its dues to the United Nations for a certain number of years, a UN spokesperson said Thursday, reported Xinhua.

"Well, the (UN) Charter is clear ... about what happens when a country doesn't pay its dues for a certain number of years," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, in response to questions about the implications if a UN member state does not pay its dues to the United Nations.

"It's Article 19. So, it's not a decision of the Secretary-General. It's in the Charter, and it implies that at some point a country may lose its vote in the General Assembly," he said.

The spokesperson confirmed that the United States did not pay its dues to the United Nations in 2025.

"A Member of the United Nations which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the Organization shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years. The General Assembly may, nevertheless, permit such a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member," Article 19 of the UN Charter stipulates.

The United States is to withdraw from 66 international organizations, according to a presidential memorandum signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed regret over the decision of the United States to pull out of multiple UN entities, reported ANI.

In a statement delivered by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, it was mentioned, "The Secretary-General regrets the announcement by the White House regarding the United States' decision to withdraw from a number of United Nations entities."

"As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States," the statement added.

The statement said that all United Nations entities will go on with the implementation of their mandates as given by Member States "with determination".

It added that the United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on it and that it will continue to carry out mandates with determination.

U S President Donald Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum on Wednesday directing the withdrawal from 66 international organisations, conventions and treaties that his administration has determined to be "contrary to the interests of the United States".

According to the White House, the 66 organisations consist of 35 non-United Nations organisations and 31 United Nations entities.

Key UN organisations from which the US has withdrawn include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Law Commission, International Trade Centre, Peacebuilding Commission, UN Energy and UN Population Fund and UN Water.

The move comes almost a year after the Trump administration had announced the withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January 2025, citing the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. The US had also withdrawn from UNESCO in July 2025, saying that the latter was not in the "national interest" of the United States.