Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, announced on Sunday that the country successfully negotiated a reduction of over $285 million of the 2016-2017 final budget.
According to the US mission to the UN, apart from the cost savings, it has reduced the UN’s bloated management and support functions bolstered support for key US priorities throughout the world and instilled more discipline and accountability throughout the UN system.
But, the US government has used the financial support to the UN as a pretext for complying with the demands of America many times in a week.
Haley, in a letter sent to several members of the UN, ahead of the voting had mentioned that President Trump had instructed her to take note of the members who voted against the US.
“At the UN we’re always asked to do more & give more,” she tweeted. “So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we don’t expect those we’ve helped to target us. On Thurs there’ll be a vote criticizing our choice. The US will be taking names.”
President Trump and Ambassador Haley had hinted at a possible reduction in funding by the US after all countries on the Security Council except the US voted against its decision to approve Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move its embassy accordingly.
“Let them vote against us. We will save a lot,” Trump said after the resolution against the US was passed for 128 against 9.
In the statement issued on Sunday, Haley reiterated Trump’s views saying “we will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked.”
“This historic reduction in spending – in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable UN – is a big step in the right direction. While we are pleased with the results of this year’s budget negotiations, you can be sure we’ll continue to look at ways to increase the UN’s efficiency while protecting our interests,” she said.
United States is the largest financial contributor to the UN with 22 percent donation to the United Nation’s operating budget. In 2016-2017, it contributed about $1.2 billion of the $5.4 billion budget.
While President Trump has repeatedly criticized the UN for its inefficiency, many among the Trump supporters consider it as an anti-American agency.
According to experts, the downside of this approach is that the benefits of an organization like the UN are not being noticed.
“The hallmark of this administration is not paying attention to the benefits that the United States actually gets in a rule-bound system with international institutions,” Stewart Patrick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, was quoted as saying by The New York Times.
“This is not something we can treat in a purely transactional way,” he added.
Reportedly, while Washington is hell-bent on cutting costs and increasing efficiency, it is necessary to ensure the UN is able to function properly and do its duty of protecting human rights and ensuring international peace.