UN to Cut 25% of Global Peacekeepers Amid Funding Crisis, US Withholds Billions

The United Nations will withdraw a quarter of its peacekeeping forces from 11 missions worldwide in the coming months due to a severe funding shortfall, senior UN officials said Wednesday, as uncertainty looms over future US contributions.

“Overall, we will have to repatriate about 25 percent of our total peacekeeping troops and police, along with their equipment. A large number of civilian staff in missions will also be affected,” a senior UN official told reporters on condition of anonymity. The cuts would impact between 13,000 and 14,000 personnel, the official added.

The United States is the UN’s largest peacekeeping funder, covering more than 26 percent of the total budget, followed by China at nearly 24 percent. These contributions are mandatory under UN rules. However, Washington was already $1.5 billion in arrears when the new fiscal year began on July 1, a second UN official said. It now owes an additional $1.3 billion, bringing its total unpaid balance to over $2.8 billion.

According to UN officials, the US has promised a partial payment of $680 million soon, though the US mission to the UN has not commented.

The financial crisis deepened after President Donald Trump canceled roughly $800 million in peacekeeping funds appropriated for 2024 and 2025, as part of his administration’s ongoing effort to scale back international commitments. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly accused global institutions of “taking advantage” of the US and has slashed foreign aid across multiple programs.

The White House budget office has also proposed scrapping all US funding for UN peacekeeping operations by 2026, citing alleged failures in missions in Mali, Lebanon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Currently, UN peacekeepers are deployed in South Sudan, the DRC, Lebanon, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, Kosovo, Western Sahara, the Golan Heights, Abyei (on the Sudan–South Sudan border), the Middle East, and along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

Secretary-General António Guterres has been working to streamline UN operations and cut costs as the organization marks its 80th anniversary amid one of the worst financial crises in its history.

Human rights groups warned that the troop reductions could have grave humanitarian consequences. “This potentially means a significant reduction in protection for humanitarian convoys and civilians who depend on aid,” said Louis Charbonneau of Human Rights Watch. “We hope the UN will prioritize lifesaving humanitarian and human rights activities.”

Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group noted that the effects of the cuts will “vary case by case,” but warned that in volatile regions such as South Sudan—where peacekeepers recently helped avert renewed conflict—“cutting back sends a very bad signal.”