The United States has paid about $160 million of the more than $4 billion it owes to the United Nations, a UN spokesperson said on Thursday. The payment came as U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the first meeting of his 'Board of Peace' initiative, which experts say could undermine the UN.
"Last week, we received about $160 million from the United States as a partial payment of its past dues for the UN regular budget," the UN spokesperson said in a statement.
Trump had mentioned at the opening of the 'Board of Peace' meeting on Thursday that Washington would give the UN money to strengthen it.
The U.S. is the biggest contributor to the UN budget, but under the Trump administration it has refused to make mandatory payments to regular and peacekeeping budgets, and slashed voluntary funding to UN agencies with their own budgets.
Washington has withdrawn from dozens of UN agencies.
UN officials say the U.S. owed $2.19 billion to the regular UN budget as of the start of February, more than 95% of the total owed by countries globally.
The U.S. also owes another $2.4 billion for current and past peacekeeping missions and $43.6 million for UN tribunals.
"We're going to help them (UN) money-wise, and we're going to make sure the United Nations is viable," Trump said.
"I think the United Nations has great potential, really great potential. It has not lived up to (that) potential."
Countries, including major powers of the Global South and key U.S. allies in the West, have been reluctant to join Trump's 'Board of Peace' where Trump himself is the chair. Many experts have said such an initiative undermines the UN.
Trump launched the board last month after proposing it late last year as part of his plan to end the war in Gaza.
A UN Security Council resolution recognised the board late last year through 2027, limiting its scope to Gaza.
Under Trump's plan, the board is meant to oversee Gaza's temporary governance and reconstruction. However, Trump subsequently said the board could also tackle global conflicts.
UN experts criticised the board for not having Palestinian representation. There was no UN representative at the 'Board of Peace' meeting on Thursday.
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The United States has paid about $160 million of the more than $4 billion it owes to the United Nations, a UN spokesperson said on Thursday. The payme...
The Board of Peace will be "looking over the United Nations," said U.S. President Donald Trump at the inaugural Washington meeting, where representatives from over 20 countries gathered to unveil plans for Gaza’s reconstruction and coordinate international support.
The Board of Peace is entering uncharted territory, with questions over its ability to manage Gaza reconstruction, its potential to rival the United Nations, and its impact on strategic allies in the Middle East and South Caucasus.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that clearing the vast of rubble in Gaza could take up to seven years at the current pace, as the overwhelming majority of residents continue to live in what it describes as extremely dangerous conditions.
Tehran’s right to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is “inherent, inalienable, and non‑negotiable,” Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, told the high-level segment of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday (17 February).
Israel is preparing for the possibility of receiving a green light from the United States to launch strikes against Iran’s ballistic missile system, according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.
Aghdam’s Qarabag FK experienced a 6–1 defeat to England’s Newcastle United in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie in Azerbaijan's capital Baku Wednesday evening (18 February).
U.S. President Donald Trump’s 'Board of Peace' will hold its first leaders’ meeting on Thursday (19 February) in Washington, D.C., launching an initiative aimed at stabilising Gaza and addressing global conflicts. It's drawn support from regional powers but refusals from several EU countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in the Kremlin on Wednesday, telling him that new restrictions imposed on the communist-run island were unacceptable.
A new freight corridor linking China with Tajikistan via Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan has entered pilot operation, marking another step in Central Asia’s expanding transport connectivity.
Hungary will release 250,000 tonnes of crude oil from its strategic reserves following a halt in flows on the Druzhba pipeline. The decision was announced in a government decree published late on Thursday.
Indonesia and the United States have finalised a trade agreement lowering U.S. tariffs on Indonesian goods to 19% from 32%, with exemptions secured for palm oil and several other major exports.
Sixty-five-year-old Halyna Popriadukhina has fled her home three times as Russian troops have marched deeper into eastern Ukraine during four years of war. Tired of running, she hopes Ukraine can somehow hold them back.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened the ruling Workers’ Party congress by hailing the past five years as a period of significant progress, while setting out new economic and political goals amid scrutiny over military plans and possible succession signals.
Ukraine could export several billion dollars of military equipment and services this year after authorising its first wartime foreign sales, a senior government official said. The country is also considering introducing a tax on arms exports.
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