UN member states must ensure funding for peacekeeping
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged
member states to "respect their financial obligations" to support
peacekeeping operations at a time the world body faces "the highest number
of conflicts" since it was founded.
Speaking at a Berlin ministerial summit on peacekeeping, Guterres said that "these are tough times for the financing of our work across the board" and that "peacekeeping is no exception".
Guterres said it was "absolutely essential" for member states to pay their contributions "in full and on time".
His call came a day after he warned "painful" changes would be needed to deal with chronic budget constraints exacerbated by the policies of US President Donald Trump's administration.
The UN's peacekeeping budget represents "a tiny fraction of global military spending -- around one half of one percent", Guterres said on Monday.
Peacekeeping is "one of the most effective and cost-effective tools to build international peace and security", he said.
Last month US media reported that the US State Department was mulling a cut in funding support for peacekeeping missions as part of sweeping cuts to the department's budget.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who was hosting the conference, admitted that "given the volume concerned, it is not possible to replace" any gap left by the United States.
He said he would press his US counterpart Marco Rubio to reconsider Washington's stance.
Wadephul, who was sworn in last week as part of new Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government, said while "multilateralism and the UN are under strain –- financially and politically", Berlin will "remain a steadfast supporter of the United Nations".
He said that while Germany was willing to pledge additional resources for peacekeeping, it was important that missions become "more efficient and more focused" in the context of financial pressures.
The ministerial summit is organised every two years to discuss the future of the UN's various peacekeeping missions and gives member states an opportunity to demonstrate political support for them.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius was also attending the meeting and said he was "firmly convinced that peacekeeping is not just a 'nice to have' or a cherry on the cake, it is essential... to ensure a more stable world".
Delegations from more than 130 countries are taking part in the two-day meeting.
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