The United Nations (UN) is intending to make deep and historic reductions to its peacekeeping presence around the globe. This decision comes in direct response to an unprecedented funding crisis. The greatest current contributor to all UN peacekeeping, the United States, is facing a high level of arrears. As a consequence, the UN could soon need to repatriate up to a quarter of its peacekeeping forces and police. Relatedly, the US today has over $1.3 billion in outstanding contributions to peacekeeping operations. This brings their total pending bill to well over $2.8 billion.
The $2 billion cash shortfall has dire consequences for current and future UN peacekeeping operations around the globe. The US currently contributes more than 26 percent of the UN peacekeeping budget, underscoring its unique position as a linchpin for keeping these missions alive and active. China comes in second, contributing almost 24 percent. The US government is scheduled to make a $680 million outlay in the next few weeks. This sum is insufficient to settle its dues completely.
Impact on Global Peacekeeping Missions
The cuts would soon reach a $600 million limit, and so sweep across many of the most crucial peacekeeping operations that the US still supports. These missions include deployments in politically charged environments. Illustratively, these feature countries like South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Kosovo, Cyprus and Central African Republic. For one, the US has lobbied highly for peacekeeping missions in Western Sahara. It serves a strategic purpose in the demilitarised zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights. Beyond that, it keeps a presence in Abyei, an administrative area shared by South Sudan and Sudan.
As one senior UN official stated, [these reductions] would be massive.
“Overall, we will have to repatriate … around 25 per cent of our total peacekeeping troops and police, as well as their equipment, and a large number of civilian staff in missions will also be affected,” – a senior UN official.
These cuts threaten the continuity, relevance and success of all current missions. They depend heavily on US funding and personnel to be able to operate successfully.
Financial Struggles and Future Implications
The moans of financial distress coming from the UN are anything but unprecedented. These problems have been aggravated by the rising burdens from members’ accumulated arrears, particularly the US. When excellent contributions exist, they have a multiplier effect. This ripple effect can seriously limit the UN’s capacity to respond to emergencies and uphold preparedness and stability in crisis-affected regions.
Experts also caution that to be most effective, immediate and substantial payments from member states are essential. Without funding – particularly from the US – these missions will experience significant compromises. Such reductions in capacity could put millions more people in harm’s way in areas under UN peacekeeping forces. This, in turn, would result in even more instability in those regions.
The Path Forward
Negotiations around future funding and operations capacity are still in the works. The UN itself is working round-the-clock to ensure they’ve obtained the financial commitments from member nations. This is a demand for immediate and decisive action from international powers to keep peacekeeping missions to stay relevant and impactful today.
