UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations begins reducing its size. peacekeeping forces and peacekeeping operationsthe latest developments will force thousands of soldiers to evacuate from remote global hotspots in the coming months. US funding cuts A senior UN official told the world body:
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, briefed reporters on Wednesday on a 25% reduction in peacekeeping forces around the world as the United States, the largest UN donor, makes changes in line with the UN. President Donald Trump’s “America First” vision.
Of the more than 50,000 peacekeepers deployed on nine global missions, approximately 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel will be repatriated to their home countries. The UN support office in Somalia will also be affected. The United Nations plans to cut about 15% of next year’s $5.4 billion budget for peacekeeping forces.
Countries where the United Nations has peacekeeping operations include Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Kosovo.
Each of the United Nations’ 193 member states has a legal obligation to pay its share for peacekeeping. UN Secretary-General António Guterres argued that although the budget represents “a small fraction of global military spending, about half of 1 percent, UN peacekeeping operations remain one of the most effective and cost-effective tools for building international peace and security.”
The decision to overhaul the peacekeeping force, known worldwide for its distinctive blue berets and helmets, followed talks between Guterres and representatives of major donor countries, including President Mike Walz, on Tuesday. new us ambassador to the united nations.
Walz and other Trump administration officials have argued that the U.N.’s budget and agencies are bloated and redundant, and pledged no further funding until the State Department evaluates the effectiveness of all U.N. agencies and programs.
Walz said in a television interview last week that the United States is committed to “bringing the United Nations back to its basics of promoting peace, enforcing peace, and preventing war.”
He added: “All this nonsense must be eliminated.”
United Nations peacekeeping operations have grown dramatically. At the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the number of UN peacekeeping forces was 11,000. By 2014, 130,000 people had participated in 16 peacekeeping operations. Approximately 52,000 men and women currently serve in 11 conflict zones in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The United States has outlined $680 million for nine of these peacekeeping missions, a significant reduction from the $1 billion the United States paid this time last year, U.N. officials said. This funding will be made available to all active missions, especially those in which the United States has a special interest. peacekeepers in lebanon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Contributions from the United States and China account for half of the UN peacekeeping budget. Another senior U.N. official, who requested anonymity to discuss informal talks, said China intended to pay its full share by the end of the year.
