Washington DC:
US President Donald Trump has ordered an end to America’s engagement with several United Nations (UN) agencies, including the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), while initiating a comprehensive assessment of US financial assistance to the multinational organisation. The White House also extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA) and ordered a review of the UN cultural agency UNESCO.
According to White House staff secretary Will Scharf, these actions were taken in response to perceived “anti-American bias” within these UN agencies. “More generally, the executive order calls for review of American involvement and funding in the UN in light of the wild disparities and levels of funding among different countries,” Scharf said.
The United States is among 47 members elected by the UN General Assembly for three-year terms in the UN Human Rights Council. It was set to conclude its current term on December 31, maintaining observer status at present. The directive issued by the Trump administration appeared to terminate all American engagement in council activities, encompassing both country-specific human rights assessments and investigations into particular rights violations.
Trump Asks UN To ‘Get Its Act Together’
Criticising the United Nations, US President Trump on Tuesday (local time) said the agency was “not being well run,” although it has potential.
“It’s got great potential and based on the potential we’ll continue to go along with it, but they got to get their act together. It’s not being well run, to be honest, and they’re not doing the job,” Trump told reporters while he stopped US engagement with the UNHRC and withdrew from the primary membership of UNRWA.
“A lot of these conflicts that we’re working on should be settled, or at least we should have some help in settling them. We never seem to get help. That should be the primary purpose of the United Nations,” he added.
The UN Pushed Back
Washington is the UN’s largest contributor – followed by China – accounting for 22 per cent of the core UN budget and 27 per cent of the peacekeeping budget.
Pushing back against Trump’s remark, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that the agency’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “has worked tirelessly to implement many reforms … to increase efficiency and innovation.”
“US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security. The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the U.S. Government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world,” Dujarric said.
The 15-member UN Security Council, of which the US is one of five permanent members, is charged with maintaining international peace and security. The UN 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.
Trump said he was not looking to take away money from the 193-member world body, though he complained that Washington had to pay a disproportionate amount.
Israel Vs UNRWA
The move coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing it of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being “involved in terrorist activities against Israel.”
An Israeli ban went into effect on January 30 that prohibits UNRWA from operating on its territory or communicating with Israeli authorities. UNRWA has said operations in Gaza and the West Bank will also suffer.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said last week that the agency has been the target of a “fierce disinformation campaign” to “portray the agency as a terrorist organization.”
The US was UNRWA’s biggest donor – providing $300 million-$400 million a year – but former President Joe Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian militants Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza.
The US Congress then formally suspended contributions to UNRWA until at least March 2025. UNRWA provides aid, health and education services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
The United Nations has said that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the October 7, 2023, attack and were fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon – killed in September by Israel – was also found to have had a UNRWA job. The UN has vowed to investigate all accusations made and repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided.