United Nations Secretary-General António Guterresis indicated recently that the UN could end 2025 with a deficit of more than US$450 million, even after reducing the spending by nearly US$600 million. The United Nations is facing a liquidity issue as Member States are delaying or not paying their assessed contributions on time, particularly since 2024. This funding shortage impacts the UN's ability to operate effectively, as its budget relies on member contributions to cover expenses. These funding cuts threaten women's rights around the world -- not just by threatening access to women's humanitarian organisations but also choking off women's voices in humanitarian planning and policy decisions.

Since 1981 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has provided reporting procedures that clarify the activities of signatory nations relating to women's rights. New Zealand became a signatory in accepting CEDAW in 1985, committing to the principles laid out. In 2000 New Zealand also ratified the CEDAW Optional Protocols which allow individuals and groups to complain to the Committee about violations of the CEDAW and allows the Committee to investigate those abuses of women's rights. The Manatū Wāhine NZ Ministry for Women is responsible for administering the nation's official CEDAW reports and its Optional Protocol.

The liquidity situation has caused some CEDAW sessions to be cancelled, postponed, or changed to being online. For example, the Cook Islands were listed to report to the 93rd session from 22 Jun 2026 to 10 Jul 2026, but their slot is uncertain and is yet “to be confirmed”. The 94th session 27 Oct 2025 to 31 Oct 2025 where the Pre-Sessional Working Group (PSWG) was to develop the List of Issues Prior to Reporting was replaced by online informal meetings. Vaine Wichman, the President of the Cook Islands National Council of Women, presented their UN shadow report online (see their Facebook video here).

The CEDAW committee for the National Council of Women of New Zealand has been leading efforts to collaborate with other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to produce an alternate report. You can find the latest contribution by NCWNZ here: https://www.ncwnz.org.nz/cedaw.

According to a recent article by Raphaël Viana David of the International Service of Human Rights, as of 3 October 2025, only 139 Member States (72%) have paid their dues in full. Members that have NOT paid their dues in full include:

• 9 members of the UN Human Rights Council: Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Chile, China, Cuba, Ghana, Malawi, Mexico.
• 4 members of the UN Security Council: China (permanent), Russia (permanent), the US (permanent), Pakistan.

New Zealand has paid mostly on time within a 30-day period (at least 4 out of 7 years). While defunding of the Human Rights Commission initiatives continue to crop up in the UN, none of them have been successful so far. New Zealand's continued leadership in the many different international collaborations to provide a voice for all women is crucial.

For more reading on this, see:

• • "UN liquidity crisis: analysis of contributions paid by UN Member States by date of payment (2019-2025)," News (21 October 2025), International Service of Human Rights, https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/un-liquidity-crisis-analysis-of-contributions-paid-by-un-member-states-by-date-of-payment-2019-2025/
  • "Humanitarian funding cuts threaten women’s rights: What’s at stake and how to help," Stories (15 May 2025), UN Women Asia and the Pacific, https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/explainer/2025/05/humanitarian-funding-cuts-threaten-womens-rights

By

Beryl Anderson
CEDAW Convenor, Te Kaunihera Wāhine o Aotearoa - National Council of Women New Zealand
[email protected]

To read more articles from The Circular (September-October 2025) issue 654, click on the tag below.