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If you’re in a club, you’ve got to pay your dues.
The US is a founding member of the United Nations, and it’s not paying what it owes to help keep the UN and its programs going.
Let’s go back to the beginning…
Established in 1945 as World War Two drew to a close, the United Nations was given a clear mission. In the preamble to the founding UN Charter, this includes:
“to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…” and
“to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights…” and
to help maintain justice and respect for international law…
This may all sound a bit lofty today, but remember, this was not simply some high-minded idealism. This was practical thinking based on the immediate horrific reality of the war. It tries to set out the means necessary to prevent yet another global apocalypse in which tens of millions of people are killed.
Now, has the UN lived up to all its objectives all the time since its founding? No. Obviously not.
But like any club, the UN can only ever be as good as its members. Governments that don’t pay their dues to the club aren’t offering solutions to make the UN work better; they are part of the problem, making it function more poorly.
The United States is the UN’s top financial contributor, but today, it cannot be trusted to honor its commitments.
Even before Trump returned to office, the UN was struggling with a shortage of cash, due largely to the failure of the United States and the UN’s second biggest contributor, China, to pay their assessed contributions. As of last month – again, this was before Trump took office – the US owed nearly US$3 billion for the UN’s regular budget, peacekeeping, and tribunals.
The UN’s lack of funds has undermined human rights investigations into atrocities in Sudan, Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, and elsewhere.
The US failure to pay its share is not a new problem, but the Trump administration is making things worse with additional measures. The administration has suspended most foreign aid, with severe implications for millions of people around the world. Trump’s new cuts also will impact funding for various crucial UN programs.
One of Trump’s first executive orders was to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, the UN agency responsible for global public health. Last week, a new order confirmed the administration would review US membership in all international organizations and treaties.
The order said the US would cease engagement with the UN Human Rights Council and review its membership in the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which focuses on the health of women and girls around the world, may also get defunded, as it did under the first Trump administration.
The UN has been around for 80 years, and it will continue to play a vital role in international affairs for many years to come. With the US increasingly abandoning its commitments to the United Nations, the UN will need to work with more trustworthy partners.
Other countries should take note – and step up.
