UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Sunday applauded a $285-million-cut in the UN core budget, saying it was “a big step in right direction.”The General Assembly adopted a budget of $5.396 billion for 2018-2019, slightly below the $5.4 billion that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had sought. The United States is by far the largest contributor to the UN budget, providing for 22 percent of the core budget. The UN’s operating budget is separate from its peacekeeping budget, which was cut by $600 million this year under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump. The push for deeper cuts comes as Guterres is trying to build support for his plans for reform of the UN bureaucracy. Guterres’ budget proposal was $200 million below the 2016-2017 biennial budget.

Source: Manila Times December 25, 2017 02:26 UTC