The United Nations’ budget is set to shrink by over $285 million next year — a 5 per cent cut that the US government says it negotiated.
The UN General Assembly voted Sunday to approve the nearly $5.4 billion regular operating budget for 2018-2019. The Secretary-General’s office says the new budget include cuts to most departments and offices, news agency AP reports.
The regular budget pays for many UN activities, but not peacekeeping or some humanitarian appeals, for example.
The US is the largest contributor, paying about 25 per cent of the regular budget. President Donald Trump has pressed to cut US contributions to the world body.
In a statement Sunday, US Ambassador Nikki Haley faulted the UN for “inefficiency and overspending” and said Washington won’t let “the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of.”
The US recently used its veto power in the UN Security Council for the first time in several years to block a resolution criticising the Trump administration’s decision to recognise the contested city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The General Assembly later passed a vote on the same issue 128-35. The US had said it would be ‘taking names’ of those who voted against its decision.