The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has opened in New York at a moment of profound uncertainty for the global body, with United States President Donald Trump set to deliver a keynote speech on Tuesday. Trump will address the organisation even as his administration has pulled billions of dollars in funding, withdrawn from key agencies, and threatened to curtail Washington’s involvement further.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will use the platform to outline “historic accomplishments” in his first eight months of a second term, including his claims of ending seven global conflicts. She added that the speech would emphasise how “globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order” while offering what she called a “straightforward and constructive vision” for international cooperation.Trump is also scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres and leaders from Ukraine, Argentina and the European Union. Later in the day, he will join a multilateral session with Middle Eastern and Asian states, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt.
A funding crisis deepens
According to reports in The New York Times, Trump’s retreat from multilateralism has already sent shockwaves through the UN system. The United States, historically the organisation’s largest donor, has clawed back \$1 billion in contributions and signalled its intent to cut another \$1 billion. This has created a vacuum at a time when authoritarian governments, including China, Russia and Cuba, are lobbying for cuts to human rights investigations and restrictions on civil society participation.Diplomats fear the US withdrawal is emboldening these states to reshape the UN to suit their interests. “Cuts are on the table, and it opens a window of opportunity for them,” Phil Lynch, head of the International Service for Human Rights, told The Times. Already, proposals have emerged to move agencies to countries with chequered rights records, such as Qatar and Rwanda, raising questions about independence and credibility.For Guterres, the cuts present a structural as well as financial crisis. The Guardian reported that the UN faces a shortfall of \$500 million in 2026, forcing job cuts of at least 20 per cent and reductions across its peacekeeping, humanitarian and health agencies. The World Food Programme warns that as many as 16.7 million people could lose food assistance. UNHCR, the refugee agency, says up to 11 million displaced people could be left without help.
Pressure on human rights work
The UN Human Rights Council, already weakened by the US withdrawal, has seen repeated attempts by member states to slash investigations into torture, war crimes and political repression. Eritrea sought to end a probe into abuses on its soil; Russia proposed limiting advocacy groups’ speaking time. While not all proposals have succeeded, rights officials warn that reduced budgets are already curtailing missions.Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told The Times that his office might be forced to halt investigations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and scale back monitoring of torture worldwide. “If you weaken human rights, you open the floodgates to the ones who want to exercise power in an unconstrained manner,” he said.Humanitarian aid is under similar strain. A leaked UN presentation suggested even daily rations for peacekeepers may be cut by nearly 30 per cent. Staff have warned of an “age of indifference” as donor fatigue combines with deliberate political pressure. Tom Fletcher, head of the UN’s Office for Humanitarian Affairs, said: “There are many who would like to see the UN being weakened, which is a reckless act of self-harm.”
America’s waning soft power
The United States, which helped found the UN in 1945 and long used it to advance its diplomatic and economic interests, now risks ceding influence to rivals. Beijing has pledged hundreds of millions to fill gaps in agencies like the World Health Organization, while Qatar and Rwanda are positioning themselves to host UN offices. As one analyst put it: “The Chinese don’t need to step up in a big way to gain more influence. The US walking out means that by definition, the Chinese are more powerful.”For Trump, Tuesday’s speech offers a chance to redefine Washington’s role. For the UN, it will be a test of survival as it marks its 80th anniversary facing not only a financial squeeze but also a battle for its legitimacy.
