US lack of funding results in cutting UN peacekeeping forces
(MENAFN) The United Nations is preparing to reduce its global peacekeeping presence by roughly a quarter in the coming months due to severe funding shortfalls, largely stemming from a lack of U.S. financial contributions, news agencies reported on Wednesday, citing diplomatic and UN sources.
A senior UN official told a news agency that the organization “will have to repatriate around 25% of our total peacekeeping troops and police, as well as their equipment,” adding that many civilian staff will also be affected. The cuts are expected to remove between 13,000 and 14,000 military and police personnel from the more than 50,000 currently deployed worldwide.
According to another news outlet, the UN’s peacekeeping budget will be reduced by about 15% this year, with missions in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Kosovo, Cyprus, the Central African Republic, Western Sahara, the Golan Heights, and Abyei among those affected.
The financial crisis is being driven primarily by the United States, which contributes over 26% of the UN’s peacekeeping budget but reportedly owes $1.5 billion in arrears from before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. Sources told news outlet that U.S. outstanding payments have now surpassed $2.8 billion, though the UN expects a partial payment of about $680 million soon.
U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to reduce foreign spending, canceling around $800 million in peacekeeping funds for 2024–2025 and proposing to eliminate U.S. contributions entirely by 2026.
Last month, media reports indicated that the UN was already facing the need to slash $500 million from next year’s budget and lay off up to 3,000 employees due to the funding shortfall.
UN peacekeeping missions—often referred to as blue helmets—operate in some of the world’s most volatile regions to stabilize conflicts and protect civilians. However, critics have long argued that the missions are chronically underfunded, slow to act, and hampered by restrictive mandates that limit their effectiveness.
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