The United Nations will cut its global peacekeeping force by 25% in the coming months, a move that will lead to the withdrawal of thousands of troops from conflict zones due to reduced funding from the United States, the UN’s largest donor, a senior UN official confirmed on Wednesday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity after a private briefing, said the reduction comes as the US aligns its contributions with President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy.
This decision will impact between 13,000 and 14,000 military and police personnel out of more than 50,000 peacekeepers currently deployed across nine missions worldwide. The UN support office in Somalia will also face cuts, with the overall peacekeeping budget slashed by approximately 15% this year, reports UNB/AP.
UN peacekeeping missions are currently stationed in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Kosovo.
All 193 member states of the UN are required to contribute to peacekeeping operations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has consistently emphasised that peacekeeping, which represents less than half of one percent of global military spending, is one of the most cost-effective ways to maintain international peace and security.
These cuts follow a meeting on Tuesday between Guterres and representatives from major donor countries, including Mike Waltz, the new US ambassador to the United Nations.
Waltz and other Trump administration officials have criticized the UN system as “bloated and inefficient,” pledging to withhold further US contributions until a comprehensive review of all UN agencies and programs is completed.
Since his re-election in January, President Trump has ordered a review of US involvement in multilateral organisations, leading to Washington’s withdrawal from UNESCO, the World Health Organisation, and the UN Human Rights Council, as well as a reassessment of funding for other UN entities.
In response to the US funding reductions, over 60 UN offices and agencies are now facing workforce cuts of up to 20%.
In a recent interview, Ambassador Waltz said the US aims to “get the UN back to basics promoting peace, enforcing peace, preventing wars,” adding that Washington plans to eliminate “unnecessary spending.”
UN peacekeeping operations have grown significantly since the end of the Cold War. From 11,000 personnel in the early 1990s, the force peaked at around 130,000 in 2014, across 16 missions. Currently, around 52,000 peacekeepers are deployed across 11 conflict zones in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The US has pledged $680 million for nine peacekeeping missions this year, a significant reduction from the $1 billion contributed last year. The funding will prioritize missions of particular interest to the US, including those in Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Together, the US and China account for nearly half of the UN’s peacekeeping budget. A senior UN official revealed that China has committed to paying its full share by the end of the year.
