United Nations, Feb 5: US President Donald Trump has ordered a review of the country’s role in the United Nations and its funding while reaffirming that it would neither participate in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) nor contribute to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that helps Palestinians.
In his Executive Order signed on Tuesday, Washington time, Trump accused the UN of acting “contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism”.
Any drastic change in the US role or funding could have a momentous effect on the UN because it is a permanent member of the Security Council and pays 22 per cent of the UN’s budget, which Trump has called an unfair burden.
Under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, the US was already out of the Human Rights Council and had stopped funding the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides relief for Palestinians.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at his briefing before Trump signed the orders, “The US will take the decision that it takes. It doesn’t alter our position on the importance of the Human Rights Council as part of the overall human rights architecture within the United Nations”.
Speaking to reporters while signing the orders, Trump said UNRWA “funneled money to Hamas which was very disloyal to humanity”. Biden had stopped funding the UNRWA amid accusations that some of its staff were members of Hamas and its facilities were used by the terror group.
“On UNRWA, I’m not sure that’s something that’s very new,” Dujarric said. “It doesn’t alter our commitment to supporting UNRWA in its work”. Trump had taken the US out of the Human Rights Council during his first term. Biden reassociated the US with the Council and was successfully elected to the Council, but last year Washington decided against seeking another term. The US questioned the role and credibility of the Council because “gross human rights violators” like China are elected to it by the General Assembly.
During Trump 1.0, the US had withdrawn from the UNESCO, the culture, education, and science arm of the UN, which it rejoined under Biden. The White House said that Trump has set an “expedited timeline due to its history of anti-Israel bias” for the review of UNESCO. One of Trump’s first actions after becoming President was to withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which he accused of “mishandling” the Covid crisis, and backing China.
IANS