ONU

Members of the Trump administration have said that U.S. President Donald Trump believes the United Nations should refocus on its “founding purpose” of preserving international peace and security. It is not clear what the administration’s appeal to the U.N.’s original ideals means in policy terms. Even the world organization’s proponents agree that after debilitating debates over the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, the Security Council and the overall U.N. system are in a bad state. The administration has emphasized what it does not like about the U.N., quitting or defunding multilateral arrangements on issues ranging from health to human rights. It has also announced a full review of all U.S.…  Seguir leyendo »

The Trump administration continues to decouple the United States from parts of the United Nations system, and it is not clear when this process will end. Having declared the U.S. would quit the Paris climate change agreement and the World Health Organization on his first day in office, Trump this week announced in an executive order that the U.S. would no longer fund the Geneva-based Human Rights Council and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, the agency that assists Palestinian refugees. Neither move was a great surprise: Trump pulled out of the Human Rights Council during his first term, and the Biden administration froze funding to UNRWA last year over allegations some staff were tied to Hamas.…  Seguir leyendo »

U.S. President Donald Trump’s swipes at the United Nations and international cooperation since retaking office have critics declaring that the U.S. risks ceding influence to China. Trump’s decision to quit the World Health Organization “just makes it much easier for China to assert itself”, former U.K. ambassador to the U.N. and intelligence chief John Sawers told CNN. After the Trump administration froze U.S. foreign aid funding, InterAction, an umbrella group for aid organizations, warned that it was creating “dangerous vacuums that China and our adversaries will quickly fill”.

Warnings such as these are designed to play on the suspicion of China that pervades much of the U.S.…  Seguir leyendo »

In recent years, the United Nations has struggled to resolve conflicts from Ethiopia to Myanmar and often ended up focusing instead on managing their humanitarian fall-out. The Security Council has mandated no new large-scale blue-helmet peace operations since 2014. The U.N.’s role in mediating peace deals has also declined since the turn of the century. By contrast, its humanitarian operations have continued to expand. The World Food Programme alone projects that it will have $8 billion to spend in 2025. That is only half of what it says that it needs to cover global food crises, but it is already more than what the U.N.…  Seguir leyendo »

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, faces her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Foreign diplomats at the U.N. will likely watch the proceedings with a mixture of trepidation and tempered optimism. There is little doubt that Trump and Stefanik will roil the world organization with provocative actions on issues ranging from climate change to the war in Gaza in the early weeks of the new administration. But many nations also hope that, after the initial diplomatic firestorm, Stefanik will emerge as someone with whom they can do business.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ambassadors and international officials at the United Nations can agree on at least two things. One is that the UN needs serious reform to deal with global challenges, from climate change to the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). The other is that in today’s tense climate its members will find it difficult, perhaps impossible, to agree on even limited reforms. While diplomats are preparing for a leaders-level Summit of the Future in September intended to overhaul the multilateral system, the negotiations may end up emphasising global divisions.

The summit is the brainchild of UN secretary-general António Guterres. The former Portuguese prime minister is often critical of the organisation he now manages.…  Seguir leyendo »