Trump administration plans to halt funding for UN peacekeeping, citing mission failures in Mali, DR Congo.
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.
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 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.
Source: Africabusinessinsider
