Take Action Today!

Most regrettably, the U.S. Administration’s 2019 budget delivered February 12th to the U.S. Congress proposes devastating budget cuts to almost every UN account and agency. The cuts range from 20 percent from UN Peacekeeping; 100 percent from agencies such as UNDP and UNFPA; the UN Environment programs and UN Women; and 50 percent from the World Health Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Overall, the State Department and U.S. foreign affairs budgets – which include the U.S. funding for the UN – would be a cut by 23 percent.

The budgets for programs of the UN and U.S. foreign aid assistance will also be cut to those countries which have made votes against or expressed disagreement with the U.S. on its foreign policy. Our UN funding required to operate the refugee programs in the West Bank and Gaza has been cut by 50 percent.

The implications of these cuts for all Americans is a drastic reduction in the programs that stand for long-term global peace and support of peoples’ basic human needs. These are reductions of critical programs that help spur social and economic development. They enable the most vulnerable to succeed in helping themselves. In the grand scheme of budget planning, full funding of U.S. support to the UN and its agencies would be less than half of one percent of the U.S. budget. The U.S. can well afford to meet these commitments to the UN and world peace. However, the U.S. can ill afford the high costs of slower global development, more wars and violence, and the increases in pressure for migration that will plague years to come if the UN is not adequately funded.

UNA-USA Southern Illinois Chapter, with its members’ support, will continue to join in the significant efforts being made by civil society organizations in the U.S. and globally to stop these excessive roll backs of U.S. engagement for peace and long-term security. Take action today!