https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/un-chief-weighed-selling-ny-residence-ease-budget-crisis-doc-1h89d12
UN chief weighed selling NY residence to ease budget crisis\
UN chief Antonio Guterres told world diplomats on Tuesday that he considered selling his Manhattan townhouse to help the global body overcome a crippling budget crisis.
Guterres put forward proposals to address a $1.5 billion shortfall in the UN peacekeeping budget and a $492 million hole in its regular budget from unpaid contributions by member-states.
"The first thing I did when I arrived was to ask if I could sell the residence," said Guterres, who became secretary-general in January 2017.
"I'm not joking. It's a true story," he told a UN budget committee.
The UN chief's residence in midtown Manhattan is a four-story townhouse with a garden overlooking the East River, located in the posh Sutton neighborhood – and estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars.
Guterres said he quickly discovered that he did not have the authority to sell the residence under UN agreements with the United States, the host government of the United Nations.