UN operating budget cut by $285M; US claims credit for it

The United Nations’ budget is set to shrink by over $285 million next year — a 5 per cent cut that the U.S. government says it negotiated.

The U.N. General Assembly voted Sunday to approve the nearly $5.4 billion regular operating budget for 2018-2019. The Secretary-General’s office says the new budget include cuts to most departments and offices.

The regular budget pays for many U.N. activities, but not peacekeeping or some humanitarian appeals, for example.

The U.S. is the largest contributor, paying about 25 per cent of the regular budget. President Donald Trump has pressed to cut U.S. contributions to the world body.

In a statement Sunday, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley faulted the U.N. for “inefficiency and overspending” and said Washington won’t let “the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of.”