The United Nations is preparing to withdraw about a quarter of its peacekeeping personnel worldwide in the coming months, Reuters reports. Senior officials confirmed it on Wednesday, as mounting financial pressures and delayed US contributions strain the organisation’s budget.
A senior UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the cuts will affect around 25% of peacekeeping troops and police officers, along with a significant number of civilian staff and their equipment.
«Overall, we will have to repatriate around 13,000 to 14,000 troops and police,» the official stated, describing the move as unavoidable given the scale of the funding shortfall.
U.S. Arrears Deepen the Crisis
The United States remains the UN’s largest contributor to peacekeeping operations, covering over 26% of the total budget, followed by China with nearly 24%. However, Washington was already $1.5 bn behind on payments before the new financial year began on July 1, according to another senior official. The US now owes an additional $1.3 bn, bringing its total arrears to more than $2.8 bn.
UN officials said the U.S. government has pledged to make a payment of $680 mln soon, though this covers only a fraction of the debt. The US mission to the UN did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The funding crisis comes at a time when several UN peacekeeping missions — spanning Africa, the Middle East, and Asia — are already under pressure from rising instability and waning international support.
Kursiv also reports that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage exchange, marking the first stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace framework.
