Following President Donald Trump’s announcement of the U.S. exit from the World Health Organization, Washington is expected to halt funding to other U. N. agencies. As VOA correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports, other rich countries are unlikely to meet the shortfalls expected to be created by the withdrawal of U.S. funds.
The United Nations is facing tough times after the United States pulled out of several of its agencies, including the World Health Organization.
“U.S. funds accounted for 18% of the budget in 2023. The United States is the biggest donor,” said Tarik Jasarevic, spokesman for the World Health Organization.
On Monday, his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed various executive orders, including one on America’s exit from the International Paris climate agreement.
” The United States will not sabotage our industries while China pollutes with impunity, ” Trump said.
The United States is the world’s largest producer of fossil fuels that cause global warming.
The United States is also the largest financial contributor to the United Nations.
At her Senate confirmation hearing, President Trump’s nominee for U. N. Ambassador, Elise Stefanik, said UNICEF and the World Food Program are effective U. N. agencies.
However, Washington will halt funding to other U. N. agencies, including UNRPORA, the agency that helps Palestinian refugees.
“Our taxes should not be complicit in supporting entities that are contrary to American interests, are anti-Semitic, or engage in fraud, corruption, or terrorism,” Stefanik said.
When President Trump cut financial support for many U. N. agencies in 2017 during his first term, European Union member states increased their contributions.
However, the bloc’s countries are now focused on increasing spending to help Ukraine, in part because of Trump’s skepticism about aid to Kiev.
“Now that the new administration has started working in the United States, it is very important that the Europeans, our two countries France and Germany, play their part to strengthen a united, powerful and sovereign Europe,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.
China is not expected to raise funds for the UN.
“Chinese officials are also realistic about the fact that their country is facing economic difficulties and does not have much funds to allocate to others. Therefore, I do not believe that the UN has alternatives with regard to funding,” Richard Gosiban of the International Crisis Group told VOA.
It is the second time Trump has pulled America out of the 2015 Paris Agreement on the environment, which aims to prevent global temperatures from rising.
Mr. Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in 2021, announced on his first day as president that he would re-join the environmental treaty.
Analysts say this shift in attitude could lead other countries to treat global warming less seriously.
“If China or other countries do not reduce their emissions, taking America as an example, then they will cause damage that will affect the American economy. The damage is global, ” Sheila Olmstead of Cornell University told VOA.
Environmental activists have opposed President Trump’s decision. Once Washington’s exit from the Paris Agreement is formalized, which is expected to happen next year, the United States joins Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only UN member states not in the deal.VOA
