Trump threatens to cut UN funding, possibly shifting power balance

World Today

Trump threatens to cut UN funding, possibly shifting power balance

U.S. President Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the United Nations.

He has drafted an order to slash funding to the U.N., which is now under review by the U.S. government. That single move by the U.N.’s largest funder could cripple the organization and its agencies from UNICEF to the World Food Program and the World Health Organization.

But it could also shift the global balance of power.

CGTN’s Liling Tan reports. Follow Liling Tan on Twitter @LilingTan

Since taking office, Trump has drafted an executive order to slash America’s U.N. funding by at least 40 percent.

While that has rattled nerves in and around U.N. headquarters in New York, the official response is a cautious one.

“Sometimes we talk too much about things that have not happened, and when we talk too much about things that have not happened, you trigger the happening of those things. So, one thing you can be absolutely sure is that I will not be making comments on possibilities to enhance the
possibilities to possibly be a reality,” Antonio Guterres, U.N. Secretary General said.

But the concerns are very real. As it stands, the U.S. provides the largest amount of money to the U.N.- more than one-fifth of its regular and peacekeeping budgets, plus voluntary contributions to multiple U.N. agencies, amounting to billions of dollars.

Counter-terrorism, peacekeeping operations and climate change initiatives could take major hits as well.

Many U.N. observers agree that without a U.S. fully on board here, the U.N. may lose both capacity and credibility. BUT some experts also said that without U.S. leadership here, there would be a void that other countries could fill, and eyes are on China.