Trump administration plans to halt funding for UN peacekeeping, citing mission failures in Mali, DR Congo
Adekunle Agbetiloye
16 April 2025 01:49 AM
The White House budget office has put forward a proposal to cut funding for United Nations peacekeeping missions, pointing to what it describes as operational failures in Mali, Lebanon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The U.S. is the largest financial contributor to the U.N., responsible for 22% of its $3.7 billion core budget and 27% of the $5.6 billion peacekeeping budget, both of which are mandatory contributions, Reuters reported.
The United Nations peacekeeping budget finances nine missions across various regions, including Mali, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Western Sahara, Cyprus, Kosovo, the area between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and Abyei, an administrative region jointly managed by South Sudan and Sudan. The proposed cuts to peacekeeping funding are part of a "Passback," which is the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) response to the State Department's funding requests for the upcoming fiscal year, starting on October 1.
The broader plan aims to reduce the State Department's budget by approximately 50%. This budget proposal still requires approval from Congress, and lawmakers may choose to restore some or all of the funds the administration has suggested cutting. The State Department was expected to respond to the OMB's proposal by Tuesday. During President Donald Trump's first term, he proposed cutting about a third of the diplomacy and aid budgets, but Congress rejected those proposals.
New fund prioritizes America first' strategy
The OMB Passback also proposed the establishment of a $2.1 billion America First Opportunities Fund (A1OF), designed to address a select range of foreign economic and development assistance priorities. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, in response to the ongoing cash crisis, announced last month that he is exploring methods to improve efficiency and reduce costs as the United Nations celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.
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