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UNITED NATIONS / Reuters
US President Donald Trump, a frequent critic of the United Nations, will seek to gather global support for reforming the world body when he hosts an event at UN headquarters in New York on September 18,
a day before he formally
addresses the 193-member
organization.
Countries will be invited to attend Trump’s function if they sign on to a US-drafted 10-point political declaration backing efforts by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “to initiate effective, meaningful reform,†according to a draft of the political declaration seen by Reuters.
Trump has complained that the US share of the world body’s budget is unfair, pushed to slash funding and described it as a “club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.†Trump, who took office in January, has since described US funding as “peanuts†compared to the important work of the organization. The United States is the biggest U.N. contributor, providing 22 percent of its $5.4 billion biennial core budget and 28.5 percent of its $7.3 billion peacekeeping budget. The contributions are agreed on by the 193-member General Assembly. Trump, Guterres, who also took office in January, and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley are scheduled
to speak at the September 18 event, diplomats said.