The Untied States on Sunday said it had negotiated a cut of over $285 million in the budget of the United Nations. The US Mission to the United Nations said the bloc’s budget cut for 2018-’19 also includes “reductions to the UN’s management and support functions”.
“The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known,” said US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. “We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked...We will continue to look at ways to increase the UN’s efficiency while protecting our interests.”
However, the statement neither specified the entire UN budget, nor how much of the budget cut constituted a drop in funding from the US.
This comes days after the US threatened to withhold billions of dollars in aid from the countries that vote against Washington’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital. On December 21, India was among the 128 members of the 193-member UN General Assembly that voted in favour of the resolution calling on the US to withdraw its decision on Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, which is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims, is home to Islam’s third holiest site – the al-Aqsa mosque – and has been at the centre of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians for decades. Israel captured East Jerusalem, which predominantly has Arab households, in 1967 and later annexed it in a move that is not recognised internationally.
The international community has condemned Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli Capital.
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