US caps UN peacekeeping contribution at 25 percent

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The United States announced Wednesday it will not pay more than 25 percent of the United Nations' peacekeeping budget.

Nikki Haley, Washington's UN envoy, made the announcement at a Security Council meeting on peacekeeping.

"The United States has long been the largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping by far. That will not change, but peacekeeping is a shared responsibility," she said. "One country should not shoulder more than one quarter of the UN peacekeeping budget, and we look forward to a more equitable distribution of the budget among Member States."

The U.S. had been paying 28.5 percent of the UN's peacekeeping budget prior to the announcement, and Haley said the U.S. will work "to ensure we make this adjustment in a fair and sensible manner that protects UN peacekeeping".

President Donald Trump's administration has complained previously that the U.S. pays an undue portion of the UN's budget, including its peacekeeping appropriation.

There are currently 15 ongoing peacekeeping missions, and the UN has a 2017-2018 budget of $6.8 billion, down from $7.9 billion the year prior after Washington sought a reduction to the bill.

Last year, 59 UN peacekeepers died "through malicious acts", a stark increase from 2016 when 34 peacekeepers were killed, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

"These figures are unacceptable and weigh on us all," he said.

*Betul Yuruk contributed to this report.