UN to cut peacekeepers by a quarter due to funding crisis
UN to cut peacekeepers by a quarter due to funding crisis
The United Nations is to reduce the number of peacekeepers in nine peacekeeping missions around the world by a quarter, a senior UN official said on Thursday, citing funding shortfalls due to a decline in US support. The UN official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the cuts could result in the repatriation of 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel. It will also affect a large number of civilian staff working in the missions.
A large number of Bangladeshi soldiers and police officers serve in UN peacekeeping missions. Bangladesh ranks third in the list of peacekeepers sent to this UN mission. As of August 31, 5,696 Bangladeshis, including 444 women, are currently serving as peacekeepers in 10 countries.The total budget of the UN peacekeeping mission in 2025-26 was $5.4 billion. Of this, the United States was supposed to provide $1.3 billion as a grant.But the United States has now informed the UN that it will provide half of the budget, or about $682 million. Of this, $85 million will be allocated for Haiti's anti-gang mission; which was not included in the UN budget.After the United States, China is the largest donor to peacekeeping missions.
It is expected to contribute about $1.2 billion to the peacekeeping budget. However, as of last July, the country had accumulated $2 billion in arrears. In such a situation, the UN fears a 16 to 17 percent deficit in the peacekeeping fund budget.Not only that, the White House budget office has proposed cutting funding for UN peacekeeping missions in 2026. They say the missions in Mali, Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of Congo have failed.US President Donald Trump has long claimed that international institutions are taking advantage of the United States.
He has been slashing foreign aid since taking office for a second term in January.“We know that this will affect ceasefire monitoring, protecting civilians and working with humanitarian organizations or other peacekeeping operations,” the UN official said.The official said that nine of the 11 peacekeeping missions will implement a process to reduce peacekeepers by a quarter. The missions had already prepared contingency plans for possible budget crises.
Currently, UN peacekeeping missions are operating in various places, including the northern Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Lebanon, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Western Sahara.Louis Charbonneau, a representative of the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, said the announcement could significantly reduce humanitarian assistance and the protection of civilians who depend on it.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also looking for ways to improve the effectiveness and reduce costs of the organization on a larger scale. The international organization turns 80 this year at a time when it is suffering from a financial crisis.
