Washington, September 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Trump administration has said it has secured more than $1 billion in cuts to the United Nations budget, along with reductions in headquarters staffing and peacekeeping personnel, as US President Donald Trump prepares to address the UN General Assembly next week.
A senior US official told reporters that around 3,000 positions at the UN headquarters were being eliminated and more than 25 per cent of peacekeepers worldwide were being sent home.
The administration presented the reductions as part of an effort to narrow the UN’s responsibilities and focus its resources on peace and security. The briefing did not provide a detailed breakdown of the savings, affected positions or specific peacekeeping missions.
“Over a billion dollars has now been cut out of the UN budget,” the official said.
The official described the reductions as the first of their kind in the UN’s 80-year history, while crediting Trump and the Secretary of State for driving the changes. However, no supporting figures were provided during the briefing for that historical assessment.
“We call it having the UN on a diet,” the official said, arguing that the organisation had taken on too many responsibilities and should focus more closely on conflict resolution.
The official said reaching agreement on the budget required consensus-building and extensive diplomatic engagement among member states.
Trump is expected to address UN reform during his General Assembly speech, although the final contents of his address have not been announced. The official described the administration’s approach as an effort to revive the organisation and referred to its campaign as “Munga”, short for “Make the UN great again”.
The official also defended the diplomatic importance of the annual General Assembly gathering, saying the presence of presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, business leaders and diplomats in New York creates opportunities for discussions that are difficult to replicate elsewhere.
He cited last year’s gathering, when Trump brought together Gulf states and Muslim-majority countries including Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia. The official linked those discussions to subsequent peace efforts in Sharm el-Sheikh and Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.
The administration intends to use this year’s gathering to advance existing agreements as well as unresolved diplomatic initiatives, the official said.
Trump is scheduled to arrive in New York on Monday afternoon and attend political events at Trump Tower that evening. He will address the General Assembly on Tuesday morning.
His programme also includes meetings with the British and Japanese prime ministers, a multilateral session with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders, a reception for world leaders and a meeting with Venezuela’s acting president before his return to Washington.
According to the US official, Trump’s speech is expected to highlight peace agreements, ongoing negotiations and issues that the administration believes previous governments had left unresolved. Iran’s nuclear programme and progress on the Gaza peace plan are also expected to feature.
US officials also outlined a broader diplomatic agenda covering artificial intelligence governance, undersea cables, seabed minerals and an initiative focused on promoting trade rather than aid.
The official cited Western Sahara as another example of Washington’s stated preference for political negotiations over repeated extensions of peacekeeping mandates.
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