8 hours agoUN gets few options for funding after US draws support
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)Following President Donald Trump's announcement of the United States' exit from the World Health Organization, Washington is expected to halt funds for other United Nations agencies as well. As American Voice correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports, other rich countries are unlikely to meet the shortages expected to be created [...]
The United Nations is ahead of difficult times after the United States emerged from some of its agencies, including the World Health Organization.
The U.S. “American funds represented 18% of the budget in 2023. The United States is the largest donor”, Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the World Health Organisation, said.
On Monday, his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed various executive orders, including one for American exit from the Paris International Climate Agreement.
The United States will not sabotage our industries while China pollutes itself without punishment of”, President Trump said.
The United States is the world's largest producer of fossil fuels that cause global warming.
America is also the greatest financial contributor of the United Nations.
At its confirmation session in Senate, President Trump's nominated ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanic, said the agency for children U n NICEF and the World Food Programme are effective UN agencies.
However, Washington will stop funding for other UN agencies, including U n NRWA, the agency that helps Palestinian refugees.
Our “Taxes should not be accomplices in supporting subjects that are contrary to American interests, are antisemitic or engaged in fraud, corruption or terrorism”, Mrs. Stefanic said.
When President Trump reduced 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, in part because of President Trump's scepticism about aid to Kiev.
“Now that the new administration began work in the United States it is very important that Europeans, our two countries France and Germany, play their role to strengthen a united, powerful and sovereign Europe”, President of France Emmanuel Macron said.
China is not expected to raise funds for the UN.
The Chinese “Offices are also realistic for the fact that their country is facing economic difficulties and do not have much funds to share for others. Therefore, I don't believe that the UN has alternatives to the” funds, Says the Voice of America Richard Gowan from the International Crisis Group.
This is the second time Mr. Trump has brought America out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on the environment, which aims to prevent global temperatures from rising.
Mr. Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, in 2021, ruled on the first day as president of the environment agreement.
Analysts say this change of attitude could affect other countries to deal with global warming less seriously.
If China or other countries don't reduce the amount of environmentally harmful gases, taking America as an example, then they will cause damage that will affect the American economy. The damage is global”, It says about Voice of America Sheila Olmstein from Cornell University.
Environmental protection activists have rejected President Trump's decision. Once Washington's departure from the Paris Agreement is formalised, which under the rules 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 agreement. / VOA
