UN to cut 25% of global peacekeeping force amid US funding shortfall
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The United Nations will begin slashing its peacekeeping force and operations, forcing thousands of soldiers to evacuate their far-flung global hotspots. The cuts come as a result of the latest US cuts to funding to the international organisation.
A senior UN official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting, briefed journalists on the matter on Wednesday, detailing that 25% of the UN’s peacekeeping force will be reduced in the coming months.
The official said the UN was forced to make those cuts as Washington, the UN’s largest donor, makes changes to align with US President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy.
Roughly 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel out of the more than 50,000 peacekeepers deployed across nine global missions will be sent back to their home countries.
The UN plans to reduce the peacekeeping force’s budget by approximately 15% for the upcoming fiscal year, affecting important and longstanding UN missions, including the support office in Somalia.
The countries where the UN has peacekeeping missions include Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Kosovo.
Each of the UN’s 193 member countries is legally obliged to pay its share toward peacekeeping.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has argued that with a budget “representing a tiny fraction of global military spending — around one half of one percent — UN peacekeeping remains one of the most effective and cost-effective tools to build international peace and security.”
The decision to overhaul the peacekeeping force — known globally for their distinctive blue berets or helmets — followed a meeting on Tuesday between Guterres and representatives from major donor countries, including Mike Waltz, the new US ambassador to the UN.
Trump administration officials, including Waltz, have argued that the United Nations is bloated and inefficient, vowing to halt further U.S. contributions until the State Department completes a full review of every UN agency and programme. Upon starting his second term, President Trump ordered a sweeping reassessment of multilateral institutions, which has already led to Washington’s withdrawal from UNESCO, the World Health Organisation, and the UN Human Rights Council, while reconsidering funding for several others.
The UN itself is undergoing major restructuring under Secretary-General António Guterres, who has initiated 20% job cuts across more than 60 offices and agencies. This is both a cost-cutting measure and a response to the U.S. funding reductions, which have created significant budgetary strain for the organisation and forced it to focus resources on core mandates.
Waltz stated that the White House’s objective is to refocus the UN on “promoting peace, enforcing peace, preventing wars,” cutting what he described as “nonsense.” The U.S. will now contribute $680 million (€584 million) to nine peacekeeping missions—down from $1 billion (€859 million) the previous year—with priority given to operations in Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.S. and Chinese payments account for about half of the UN’s peacekeeping budget, with China pledging to meet its full contributions by year-end, covering 20% of the regular budget and 24% of peacekeeping costs.
