Autocrats Move Quickly to Fill Void as Trump Retreats From U.N.
Source: NYT
As President Trump pulls back U.S. funding of the United Nations, countries like China, Russia and Qatar are seeking to influence the body’s work on human rights and labor.
"... The world once relied on American money and leadership to address global problems like pandemics, forced labor and poverty.Now many groups are considering new patrons like China and Qatar, governments that are seeking to remake oversight of human rights and labor conditions.
.... Some agency heads in Geneva were caught off guard. The combination of the U.S. funding freeze and cuts by other donors was a shock, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, told staff members in May, according to a transcript obtained by The Times. “Unfortunately, regrettably, we will have to do less with less,” he said. “And this will impact the lives of millions of people.”
Although limited U.S. funding to the agency has resumed, the agency said in July that aid to up to 11.6 million refugees could be cut. The U.N.’s food agency estimates that as many as 16.7 million people could lose food assistance..."
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/world/asia/trump-un-china-authoritarian.html