Trump says UN has to ‘get its act together’, UN pushes back

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump criticised the UN on Feb 4 as “not being well run”, although he said it has potential, while he stopped US engagement with the UN Human Rights Council,

extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA

and ordered a review of the UN cultural agency Unesco.

“It’s got great potential, and based on the potential we’ll continue to go along with it, but they got to get their act together,” Mr Trump told reporters. “It’s not being well run, to be honest, and they’re not doing the job.”

“A lot of these conflicts that we’re working on should be settled, or at least we should have some help in settling them. We never seem to get help. That should be the primary purpose of the United Nations,” Mr Trump added.

The UN pushed back against Mr Trump's remarks.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “has worked tirelessly to implement many reforms... to increase efficiency and innovation”, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

“US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security,” Mr Dujarric said. “The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the US government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world.”

The 15-member UN Security Council, of which the US is one of five permanent members, is charged with maintaining international peace and security.

Mr Trump said he was not looking to take away money from the 193-member world body, though he complained that Washington had to pay a disproportionate amount.

Washington is the UN's largest contributor – followed by China – accounting for 22 per cent of the core UN budget and 27 per cent of the peacekeeping budget.

The UN has said the US currently owes a total of US$2.8 billion (S$3.78 billion), of which US$1.5 billion is for the regular budget.

These payments are not voluntary.

UNRWA

Mr Trump’s order on Feb 4 was largely symbolic and mirrored moves he made during his first term in office, from 2017 to 2021.

The signing on Feb 4 coincided with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing it of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being “involved in terrorist activities”.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said last week that the agency has been the target of a “fierce disinformation campaign” to “portray the agency as a terrorist organisation”.

The US was UNRWA’s biggest donor – providing US$300 million to US$400 million a year – but former president Joe Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly Oct 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian militants Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza.

The US Congress then formally suspended contributions to UNRWA until at least March.

UNRWA provides aid, health and education services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

The UN has said that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Oct 7, 2023, attack and were fired.

A Hamas commander in Lebanon – killed in September 2024 by Israel – was also found to have had a UNRWA job. The UN has vowed to investigate all accusations made and repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided.

An Israeli ban went into effect on Jan 30 that prohibits UNRWA from operating in its territory or communicating with the Israeli authorities. UNRWA has said operations in Gaza and West Bank will suffer.

Human rights council

During Mr Trump’s first term in office, he cut off funding for UNRWA, saying that Palestinians needed to agree to renew peace talks with Israel, and calling for unspecified reforms.

The first Trump administration also quit the 47-member Human Rights Council halfway through a three-year term over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform.

The US is not currently a member of the Geneva-based body. Under Mr Biden, the US served a 2022 to 2024 term.

A council working group is due to review the US human rights record later in 2025, a regular process. While the council has no legally binding power, its debates carry political weight and criticism can raise global pressure on governments to change course.

Mr Trump’s executive order on Feb 5 also asks Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review international organisations, conventions, or treaties that “promote radical or anti-American sentiment”.

He specified that the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation should be reviewed first because Washington had previously accused it of anti-Israel bias.

The US and Israel announced in 2017 they were quitting Unesco for that reason.

Washington has withheld its funding for Unesco since 2011, when the body admitted the Palestinians as a full member. REUTERS