Latest news with #UNreform
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's UN envoy pick Waltz says US needs strong voice to counter China
By Patricia Zengerle and Michelle Nichols WASHINGTON/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations needs reform and the United States must have a strong voice to counter China, Mike Waltz, U.S. President Donald Trump's pick to be his U.N. envoy, said on Tuesday, adding that he is "confident we can make the U.N. great again." Waltz - a retired Army Green Beret and former Republican lawmaker from Florida - is the last member of Trump's cabinet awaiting likely confirmation by the U.S. Senate. On Tuesday, he appeared before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of that process. "We should have one place in the world where everyone can talk, where China, Russia, Europe, the developing world can come together and resolve conflicts" Waltz told the committee. "But after 80 years, it's drifted from its core mission of peacemaking. We must return to the U.N.'s charter and first principles." His remarks largely echoed what Trump has said about the world body. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced in March that he was seeking ways to improve efficiency and cut costs as the U.N. turns 80 this year amid a cash crisis. "The U.N. has ballooned to over 80 agencies with overlapping missions that waste resources and, if confirmed, I'll push for transparency, like what we're seeing in the Secretary-General's UN80 reform plan calling for a 20% staff cut," Waltz said. He said U.N. peacekeeping plays an important role, but also needs reform. Washington is the U.N.'s largest contributor - followed by China - accounting for 22% of the core U.N. budget and 27% of the peacekeeping budget. The U.N. has said the U.S. currently owes a total of $2.8 billion, of which $1.5 billion is for the regular budget. These payments are not voluntary. The United States was also one of the world's largest humanitarian aid donors, but the Trump administration has slashed billions of dollars in foreign assistance, including to U.N. agencies. 'BLOCK AND TACKLE' Waltz was Trump's national security adviser until he was ousted on May 1 after he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides. Trump then promptly nominated Waltz as his U.N. ambassador. "The use of Signal was not only authorized, it's still authorized, and highly recommended," Waltz said on Tuesday. He later clarified it was not authorized for sharing classified information and that no classified information had been shared in the March Signal chat. Waltz repeated long-held U.S. criticisms of the U.N. - that Washington pays too much at the 193-member world body, that it is anti-Israel and that China is building too much influence. "We have to block and tackle Chinese influence," Waltz said. "America must have a strong voice and, if confirmed, I'll work with Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio to challenge this influence." Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has maintained the wary stance on multilateralism that was a hallmark of his first term between 2017 and 2021. So far, Trump has stopped U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and ordered a review of the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO. He has also announced plans to quit the Paris climate deal and the World Health Organization. When asked about Waltz's confirmation hearing, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday: "Our message to all member states is: if you're not fully pleased with what's going on in this organization, engage with the other member states in this organization."
Al Arabiya
30-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
UN could cut thousands of jobs under reform plans: Internal memo
The cash-strapped United Nations could slash 20 percent of jobs—or thousands of positions—in its executive arm under ongoing reform plans, according to an internal memo seen Thursday by AFP. 'The Secretary-General has set an ambitious target, to achieve a meaningful reduction (between 15 percent and 20 percent) of the regular budget for 2026, including a reduction of 20 percent of posts, for the UN Secretariat,' UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan wrote in a message this week to dozens of department heads. The UN's budget for 2025 totals $3.7 billion. The Secretariat, one of the main bodies tasked with carrying out the decisions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, employed about 35,000 people as of late 2023—most of them in New York, but also in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi. The UN 80 reform initiative launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March aims to streamline operations at the world body amid budgetary constraints. Guterres recently warned of 'painful' changes ahead, including staff reductions, and did obliquely raise the specter of a 20 percent cut in staffing. The memo seen by AFP, dated May 27, asks all department heads to prepare lists of posts to eliminate by June 13, focusing on 'redundant, overlapping or non-critical functions.' 'I count on your cooperation for this collective effort whose aggressive timelines are recognized,' Ramanathan wrote. If approved by the General Assembly, which must adopt the 2026 budget, the staff cuts would go into effect on January 1, 2026 for those posts already vacant, and later for those occupied, in accordance with UN regulations. The memo says that agencies like the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), and UN Women—which are partially funded out of the UN's regular budget—would receive separate instructions. The UN has for years faced a chronic liquidity crisis because some member states do not pay their expected contributions in full, and others do not pay on time. The United States, the top contributor to the UN ordinary budget at 22 percent of the total, was $1.5 billion behind in its payments by the end of January, a UN spokesman said. And in 2024, China, the number two contributor at 20 percent, only paid its contribution in late December. Beyond the liquidity woes, some fear that funding will drop under US President Donald Trump. Several UN agencies have already been hit hard by deep cuts in US foreign aid.
Japan Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
U.N. eyes budget and job cuts for 2026 as U.S. scales back aid
The United Nations Secretariat is preparing to cut its $3.7 billion budget by 20% and slash about 6,900 jobs, according to an internal memo. The directive, which asks staff to detail cuts by June 13, comes amid a financial crisis triggered in part by the United States, which annually funds nearly a quarter of the world body. In addition to U.S. foreign aid cuts under U.S President Donald Trump that have gutted U.N. humanitarian agencies, the U.S. owes — for arrears and the current fiscal year — nearly $1.5 billion. The memo's author, U.N. Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan, did not cite the U.S. failure to pay. He noted that the cuts are part of a review launched in March dubbed "UN80." "It is an ambitious effort to ensure that the United Nations is fit for purpose to support 21st-century multilateralism, reduce human suffering and build better lives and futures for all," Ramanathan said. "I count on your cooperation for this collective effort whose aggressive timelines are recognized." The cuts would take effect Jan. 1, the start of the next budget cycle. In public briefings to U.N. diplomats this month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is considering a massive overhaul that would merge major departments and shift resources across the globe. He said the U.N. may consolidate some agencies, trim others, move staff to cheaper cities, cut duplication and eliminate redundant bureaucracy. In public briefings to U.N. diplomats this month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is considering a massive overhaul that would merge major departments and shift resources across the globe. | reuters "These are times of peril, but they are also times of profound opportunity and obligation," Guterres said on May 12. "Make no mistake: uncomfortable and difficult decisions lie ahead. It may be easier and even tempting to ignore them or kick the can down the roads. But that road is a dead end." The U.S. failure to pay its assessments has also created a liquidity crisis for the U.N., a problem exacerbated by China's repeated late payments. Together, the two nations account for more than 40% of U.N. funding. In addition, the Trump administration has withdrawn hundreds of millions of dollars in discretionary funds, forcing the abrupt halt of dozens of humanitarian programs that U.N. officials have said will cost lives. The proposed U.S. budget for the coming year, which must be approved by Congress, has eliminated or drastically reduced funding for several U.N. programs, including peacekeeping. A U.S. State Department spokesperson did not comment on the proposed U.N. cuts, but said a Trump-ordered study was due by early August. "Funding for the U.N., along with other international organizations, is currently under review,' the spokesperson said. In April, Tom Fletcher, who leads the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told employees that U.S. funding cuts would force the agency to trim 20% of its staff to address a shortfall of $58 million. Richard Gowan, U.N. director at the International Crisis Group, said it was unclear if the cuts will affect the Trump administration position. "Diplomats think that Guterres hopes that if he shows he will make these cuts, then the administration will ease off on their threats to zero out funding for the U.N.,' Gowan said. "That's possible. It's also possible that the administration will just pocket the cuts and not make any concessions.'
The National
29-05-2025
- Business
- The National
UN plans 20% budget cut amid liquidity crisis, internal memo says
The UN is preparing to slash its $3.7 billion budget by 20 per cent in 2026, according to an internal memo. The order, seen by The National, requires staff to outline reductions by June 13 and could result in thousands of jobs lost. UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan said the cuts are part of the UN80 reform initiative launched in March to ensure the world body becomes "more cost-effective" by taking "bold and immediate steps" to improve the way it functions. "It is an ambitious effort to ensure that the United Nations is fit for purpose to support 21st-century multilateralism, reduce human suffering and build better lives and futures for all," Mr Ramanathan said, urging staff co-operation amid "aggressive timelines". "Downgrading of posts and positions may also be proposed to reduce the posts costs." The cutbacks will take effect on January 1, the start of the next budget cycle. On May 13, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told member states at an informal meeting that the world body's liquidity crisis stems largely from unpaid membership dues. 'The liquidity crisis is caused by one simple fact: the arrears. We have a huge debt to the organisation, essentially from one member state and a few others,' Mr Guterres said. 'We won't solve the liquidity crisis by reforming the organisation. We solve it by countries paying their contributions in full and on time." Mr Guterres added that this would improve the UN's efficiency and mitigate the crisis. In April, Tom Fletcher, the head of UN humanitarian affairs, informed staff that due to US funding reductions, the agency would need to cut 20 per cent of its workforce to cover a $58 million budget gap. The US owes the world body about $2.8 billion as of early 2025, according to UN figures. The total includes about $1.5 billion in unpaid assessments for the UN's regular budget and about $1.3 billion for peacekeeping operations and international tribunals. Under the UN's funding formula, the US is responsible for 22 per cent of the regular budget and about 27 per cent of peacekeeping costs.
