Power urges Trump not to cut UN funding
US Ambassador Samantha Power has urged the Trump administration not to cut funding to the United Nations, warning that this would be detrimental to US interests and benefit countries like China and Russia.
"We lead the world, in part, by leading at the United Nations," Power stressed at her final press conference before leaving the US Mission on January 20 when Barack Obama's presidency ends and Donald Trump is inaugurated as president.
Supporters of Israel in the US Congress have introduced a number of bills to cut off UN funding to protest Obama's decision to allow the adoption of a Security Council resolution in December condemning Israel's construction of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want for their future state.
The United States pays 22 per cent of the UN's regular operating budget and 25 per cent of the budget for its 16 far-flung peacekeeping missions where over 100,000 troops and police are deployed.
"We are in the room as a credible leader within the UN, which would become extremely hard to do if we were not contributing our share of funding," Power said.
She said a funding cut would leave the United States with its hands tied behind its back and strip the UN of resources to support conflict mediation or humanitarian operations or new Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' "major effort" to resolve conflicts in Cyprus and South Sudan.
"This would be extremely detrimental to US interests," she said, and would also penalise nations trying to advance international peace and security, development, human rights and dignity.
"For there to be less of that work done in the world is going to make for a messy world," Power warned.
"And the only beneficiaries of our pullback of funding from the UN would be countries like China and Russia who ... certainly in some debates would greatly prefer that the United States was fighting and advocating here and pushing policies with less standing," she said.
Power also warned that if there is less US leadership other countries will step in to fill the void, including nations that don't share America's approach to fighting terrorism, promoting human rights and respecting international borders.
She didn't give any names, but was clearly alluding to Russia.
