Matthew Sharp

This Board can't replace the UN in the sense of legitimacy, but the President could try to divert funds intended for the UN as contributions to the Board, instead, which would be catastrophic. There are reasons to be concerned this could happen.

Congress should pay close attention that funds intended to pay for U.S. UN dues are used that way. Without those funds, the UN would be in real trouble.

Also concerning: the White House indicated Trump “ratified” the Board’s Charter, establishing “an official international organization.” The Senate’s $1.4 billion is for treaty-ratified “international organizations.” Can the Board now qualify for those funds? A stretch, but not unthinkable.

The appropriations bill passed by the Senate this week does create the A1OF, but it also provides $1.4 billion specifically for the payment of UN and other dues. The Senate thus allows the President to fund both the Board and the UN, but not to shortchange one for the other.

The President’s FY2026 budget request contains a warning. The request obliterated the State Department account through which UN dues are paid and created the “America First Opportunity Fund” (A1OF). The President could those funds for UN dues or other “strategic investments,” as he saw fit.

The reaction to President Trump’s “Board of Peace” suggests it is unlikely to compete with the international credibility of the UN. What *could* threaten the UN is diverting U.S. funds intended for our grossly overdue UN dues towards contributions to the Board of Peace, instead.

A Climate of Isolation We Can’t Insulate Ourselves from Global Climate Change

Trump’s withdrawal from international climate bodies leaves the United States isolated and diminished politically but cannot insulate the United States from the physical effects of climate change. It will leave Americans less safe, less healthy, and less prosperous. open.substack.com/pub/markwgoo...

Guterres condemns demolishing UNWRA's compound as inconsistent with legal obligations.

The international norm that states should respect both their own international legal obligations and UN privileges are there for a reason. It hurts our security when they aren't respected. #UN #UnitedNations

Now is a particularly important moment for the Disarmament Advisory Board. Congratulations to Mr. Haggag, and good luck!

Our participation in the UN system makes us stronger, not weaker. As Secretary Rubio indicated, review of international organizations pursuant to Executive Order 14199 is ongoing; I hope future decisions will be more careful and beneficial than this one seems to have been.

The U.S. announcement has little impact. The United States doesn’t sit on the CEB, and because it is funded through regular budget contributions, “withdrawing” won’t save any money. That’s good, because without the CEB to implement UN efficiencies and coordination, we’d need to invent it.

It’s a bit ironic that, while trying to improve the efficiency of U.S. contributions, the Department has apparently zeroed in on one that they rely on in figuring out how much we spend at the UN.

The Department’s most recent annual report to Congress on U.S. contributions to international organizations says: “The amounts of total funding will be obtained from publicly available documents produced by the UN System Chief Executives Board or the recipient entities.”

With those funds, CEB staff also compile UN financial data and make them publicly available. Who needs this kind of reporting? Well, the State Department, for one.

How much does this coordination cost? Costs are shared across UN agencies and other sources, but the UN’s 2025 budget estimates a $1.3 million cost to the UN’s regular budget. At 22%, the U.S. share of this is a bit less than $300,000.

The UN System Chief Executives Board gathers about 30 UN organization heads to promote UN coherence and coordination. Last year, the CEB identified, developed, and initiated a portfolio of UN-wide efficiency measures, while also enhancing policy coordination on issues like transnational crime.

On January 7, President Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from 66 international organizations. In a statement, Secretary of State Rubio called the organizations wasteful, ineffective, and harmful. What are these 66 organizations? Here's info on just one. #UN #UnitedNations #EO14199