BEIRUT: UN chief Antonio Guterres said Saturday on a visit to Beirut that diplomatic channels remained open to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah and urged the international community to support Lebanon.&nbsp;&quot;There is no military solution, only diplomacy, dialogue and full implementation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions. The diplomatic avenues are available, including through my special coordinator for Lebanon... and through key member states,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;We are doing everything we can now to bring about an immediate de-escalation and the cessation of hostilities,&quot; Guterres told reporters.&nbsp;&quot;My special coordinator is engaging with all actors around the clock to bring the parties to the table and UNIFIL peacekeepers... remain in position,&quot; he said, referring to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.&nbsp;He said attacks against peacekeepers and positions were &quot;completely unacceptable and they must stop. They are in breach of international law and may constitute war crimes&quot;.&nbsp;Three peacekeepers serving with the Ghanaian contingent were wounded earlier this month in south Lebanon.&nbsp;Guterres arrived in Beirut on Friday for what he called a &quot;solidarity&quot; visit, and launched a $325 million humanitarian appeal to support Lebanon as it responds to the displacement crisis.&nbsp;&quot;My message to the international community is simply step up your engagement, empower the Lebanese state and support the Lebanese Armed Forces to secure the capabilities and resources they need. Respond generously to the humanitarian appeal,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The Israeli army has issued sweeping evacuation orders to residents of south Lebanon and Beirut&#39;s southern suburbs, with the Norwegian Refugee Council saying they cover 14 percent of Lebanese territory.&nbsp;&quot;Evacuation orders in a situation where so many vulnerable populations exist in the areas that are asked to be evacuated does not create enough security for civilians, and whatever does not create enough security for civilians inevitably becomes in violation of international humanitarian law,&quot; Guterres said.

Middle East

UN chief Antonio Guterres said the fighting in Lebanon should be stopped through talks, not war. He urged all sides to stop fighting and use talks, diplomacy, and UN rules and resolutions to find peace.

UN chief says 'diplomatic avenues' available to stop war in Lebanon

UNITED NATIONS: United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Friday warned that the world body is on the brink of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-senate-eyes-funding-deal-vote-as-government-shutdown-looms" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">financial</a>&nbsp;collapse and could run out of cash by July, as he urged countries to pay their dues. The UN faces chronic budget problems because some&nbsp;member states&nbsp;do not pay their mandatory contributions in full, while others do not pay on time, forcing it into hiring freezes and cutbacks. &quot;Either all Member States honor their obligations to pay in full and on time -- or Member States must fundamentally overhaul our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse,&quot; Secretary-General Guterres wrote in a letter. US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration has in recent months reduced its funding to some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/at-least-170-civilians-killed-in-myanmar-air-strikes-during-election-un" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">UN agencies</a>&nbsp;and has rejected or delayed some mandatory contributions. Trump has often questioned the UN&#39;s relevance and attacked its priorities. The organization&#39;s top decision-making body, the Security Council, is paralyzed because of tensions between the United States and Russia and China, all three of which are permanent, veto-wielding members. Trump also launched his &quot;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-joins-saudi-arabia-turkey-in-backing-un-gaza-peace-plan" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Board of Peace</a>&quot; this month, which critics say is intended to become a rival to the UN. &#39;Untenable&#39; Although more than 150 member states have paid their dues, the UN ended 2025 with $1.6 billion in unpaid contributions -- more than double the amount for 2024. &quot;The current trajectory is untenable. It leaves the Organization exposed to structural financial risk,&quot; Guterres wrote. The UN is also facing a related problem: it must reimburse member states for unspent funds, Farhan Haq, one of the Guterres&#39; spokespeople, said during a press briefing. The secretary-general also highlighted that problem, writing in the letter: &quot;We are trapped in a Kafkaesque cycle; expected to give back cash that does not exist.&quot; &quot;The practical reality is stark: unless collections drastically improve, we cannot fully execute the 2026 program budget approved in December,&quot; Guterres&#39; wrote, adding: &quot;Worse still, based on historical trends, regular budget cash could run out by July.&quot; Guterres, who will step down at the end of 2026, this month gave his last annual speech setting out his priorities for the year ahead and said the world was riven with &quot;self-defeating <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/fifa-cannot-solve-geopolitical-problems-like-gaza-says-infantino" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">geopolitical</a> divides (and) brazen violations of international law.&quot; He also slammed &quot;wholesale cuts in development and humanitarian aid&quot; -- an apparent reference to deep cuts to the budgets of UN agencies made by the United States under the Trump administration&#39;s &quot;America First&quot; policies.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres holding a video conference. (UN)

Americas

The UN faces chronic budget problems because some member states do not pay their mandatory contributions in full, while others do not pay on time, forcing it into hiring freezes and cutbacks.

Articles tagged with "UN chief Antonio Guterres"

UN chief says 'diplomatic avenues' available to stop war in Lebanon

Guterres warns UN risks 'imminent financial collapse'

UN chief says 'diplomatic avenues' available to stop war in Lebanon