US President Donald Trump’s decision to slash funding for key United Nations agencies-including WHO, UNESCO, and UNRWA-signals a dramatic retreat from multilateralism, threatening peacekeeping, health, and refugee support worldwide.

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In a move that has sent shockwaves through the international community, President Donald Trump announced sweeping cuts to US contributions for United Nations agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Framing the decision as a correction of “disproportionate” US spending, the Trump administration’s latest executive orders mark a decisive escalation in Washington’s campaign to undermine multilateral institutions and global cooperation.

Trump’s rationale for these drastic measures is rooted in a nationalist, unilateralist worldview that rejects the core principles of international solidarity. By labeling UN peacekeeping as “ineffective” and accusing agencies like the Human Rights Council of “bias,” the administration deploys familiar right-wing talking points to justify a retreat from global responsibility. Critical discourse analysis reveals that such rhetoric is not new; it echoes historic US efforts to impose its ideological dominance and marginalize dissenting voices in the international arena. Progressive observers argue that these attacks on the UN are less about efficiency and more about dismantling checks on US power and silencing scrutiny of Washington’s own human rights record.

Mental healthcare is a lifeline — not a luxury.

But funding cuts mean refugees are being left behind.

Support is urgently needed. Please help with a donation: https://t.co/t31p7QDv9J pic.twitter.com/Fr8oZbrJBf

— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) May 2, 2025

The impact of these funding cuts will be felt most acutely in the Global South, where UN agencies play a crucial role in providing health care, education, and refugee support. The suspension of contributions to WHO and UNESCO threatens vital programs in developing countries, while the defunding of UNRWA directly endangers millions of Palestinian refugees who rely on its services for survival. Left-wing analysts warn that these moves are part of a broader pattern of US disengagement from international development and peacebuilding, a trend that risks deepening global inequalities and fueling instability in already vulnerable regions.

Progressive voices across Latin America and beyond have condemned Trump’s actions as a direct assault on the legitimacy of the United Nations and the principle of collective action. By prioritizing narrow national interests over global cooperation, the US undermines the very foundations of the postwar international order. As critical media scholars note, such unilateralism not only weakens the capacity of the UN to respond to crises but also emboldens authoritarian regimes and erodes the norms of human rights and democracy worldwide. The world now faces a stark choice: defend multilateralism and solidarity, or allow the retreat of the US to accelerate the unraveling of global governance.

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