UN has few funding options as US withdraws support

2025-01-23 17:03:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Following President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States will withdraw from the World Health Organization, Washington is expected to halt funding to other United Nations agencies. As VOA correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports, other wealthy countries are unlikely to fill the gaps expected to be created by the withdrawal of American funds.

The United Nations is facing difficult times after the United States withdrew from several of its agencies, including the World Health Organization.

"American funds accounted for 18% of the budget in 2023. The United States is the largest donor," said Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesman for the World Health Organization.

On Monday, his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed various executive orders, including one to withdraw America from the international Paris Climate Agreement.

"The United States will not sabotage our industries while China pollutes with impunity," President Trump said.

The United States is the world's largest producer of fossil fuels that cause global warming.

America is also the largest financial contributor to the United Nations.

At her Senate confirmation hearing, President Trump's nominee for UN ambassador, Elise Stefanik, said that children's agency UNICEF and the World Food Program are effective UN agencies.

However, Washington will halt funding to other UN agencies, including UNRWA, the agency that helps Palestinian refugees.

"Our taxes should not be complicit in supporting entities that are contrary to American interests, are anti-Semitic, or engage in fraud, corruption, or terrorism," Ms. Stefanik said.

When President Trump cut financial support for many UN agencies in 2017, during his first term, European Union member states increased their contributions.

However, the bloc's countries are now focused on increasing spending to help Ukraine, partly due to President Trump's skepticism about aid to Kiev.

"Now that the new administration has taken office in the United States, it is very important that Europeans, our two countries France and Germany, play their role to strengthen a united, strong and sovereign Europe," said French President Emmanuel Macron.

China is not expected to increase funding to the UN.

"Chinese officials are also realistic about the fact that their country is facing economic difficulties and they don't have a lot of funds to share with others. Therefore, I don't believe the UN has any alternatives in terms of funds," Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group tells VOA.

This is the second time that Mr. Trump has pulled America out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on the environment, which aims to prevent rising global temperatures.

Mr. Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, decided in 2021 to rejoin the environmental agreement on his first day as President.

Analysts say this change in attitude could influence other countries to treat global warming less seriously.

"If China or other countries do not reduce the amount of harmful gases for the environment, taking America as an example, then they will cause damage that will affect the American economy. The damage is global," Sheila Olmstead of Cornell University tells VOA.

Environmental activists have opposed President Trump's decision. Once Washington's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is formalized, which is expected to happen next year, the United States joins Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only UN member states not part of the environmental pact. /VOA