Exclusive: A first look at the Trump administration's UNGA priorities

The United States has laid out its priorities for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, calling for a “fundamental rethink” of the international humanitarian system and a decreased reliance on the country that was once the world’s largest donor. “For decades, the United States has led the world in shouldering the burden of international humanitarian assistance,” read an email from the State Department, which was shared with U.S. embassies across the world — and obtained by Devex — on Wednesday. “It is imperative for other donors to step up.” The email provided the clearest glimpse into how the U.S. is thinking about its plans for the world’s largest annual summit of world leaders. But it shed little light on the administration’s thinking on some of the greatest foreign policy challenges, including the war in Ukraine and Israel’s military siege of Gaza. Ever since the U.N.’s founding in 1945, the U.S. has been the institution’s largest donor. In 2023 — the latest year with complete data — the country contributed $13 billion to the U.N. and its agencies, 24% of which was for assessed contributions, and 75% of which was voluntary, according to a recent analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But for months, the Trump administration has made it clear that U.S. engagement with the U.N. will be changing. The U.S. ended funding for several U.N. agencies, slashed previously approved spending through a rescissions package, and froze countless U.N. programs across the world. Meanwhile, a long-awaited review of the institution’s international organizations, such as UNICEF and the World Food Programme, is expected to be released soon. In the email, the U.S. outlines three central “policy priorities,” including peace, sovereignty, and liberty. It is those three themes that the country feels the U.N. should focus on, while pushing the institution’s member states to identify the system’s efficiencies, eliminate redundancies, and reduce staff costs “to better serve the core purposes for which the UN was founded.” There was no mention of development, which — alongside peace and security, and human rights — is one of the U.N.’s three interconnected pillars. “The UN system has been used to expand so-called human rights in a manner that makes a mockery of traditional notions of liberty,” the email read. “Certain countries have also used the system to push a highly politicized liberal agenda against the sovereign prerogatives of other states. Member states should bear in mind the meaning of human rights at the time of the signing of the [U.N.] Charter and avoid the absurdities and distortions of recent times.” The U.N. could not be reached for comment in time for publication. Peacekeeping For months, the U.S. has criticized the U.N.’s peacekeeping operations, stating that such activities have long been “fraught with waste and abuse.” That criticism has become a source of tension between Washington and New York, with the White House’s budget office denouncing peacekeeping operations, and Mike Waltz — Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations — highlighting its importance, alongside other U.S. diplomats. The country paid for nearly 27% of the U.N. peacekeeping budget for 2024 to 2025 — but in July, the Trump administration cut $361 million in previously-approved funding. That drop reduced U.S. spending on U.N. peacekeeping activities by nearly a quarter, and in the email shared on Wednesday, the State Department held firm on what the U.S. feels needs to change. “The United States calls for greater accountability, adaptability, and transparency in peacekeeping,” the email stated. “We believe peacekeeping missions should have clear end goals, measurable metrics, and responsible resource allocation.” The email did not mention the conflicts that are expected to weigh heavily on the UNGA agenda — nor did it mention changes to U.S. trade policy, which have sent shockwaves across U.N. member states. Instead, the State Department spoke of a “rethink” of the humanitarian system, stating that many crises “are man-made and solvable.” “Every Member State must share the burden of humanitarian response, especially given scarce resources,” the email continued. “By refocusing on core mandates and avoiding politicization, the UN and its agencies can better deliver to those in need.” Sovereignty, liberty, and human rights The U.S. will “strongly oppose” anything that infringes on state sovereignty — a theme that for years has been at the core of President Donald Trump’s interactions with the U.N. In his first speech to the U.N. General Assembly in 2017, Trump told delegates that he was “renewing” the principle of sovereignty, stressing that each nation should put its own interests first and resist outside interference in domestic affairs. “As president of the United States, I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always, and should always, put your countries first,” said Trump, speaking at the U.N. during his first presidential term. “We can no longer be taken advantage of, or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return..” Wednesday’s email continued that thread, stating that the U.S. “cannot accept” international efforts to “impose burdensome binding regulations,” rules, recommendations, or codes of conduct that “infringe on national sovereignty or stifle innovation and competition, harm growth, and destroy jobs.” Today, “certain countries” have used the U.N. system to do just that, the email stated, arguing that those nations — which the email did not name — have pushed a “highly politicized liberal agenda against the sovereign prerogatives of other states.” That bled into the next focus of the email: liberty, or the idea that individuals should be free to think, speak, worship, and organize without government repression. The U.S. “firmly support[s] the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief,” and “will not tolerate efforts to trample freedom of expression that impinges on our sovereignty at home or abroad,” the email stated. “Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of liberty, and we will not shy away from calling out countries imposing censorship tactics, such as government-imposed shutdowns of the Internet, suppression of the views of political parties deemed undesirable by the ruling class, and undue restrictions on freedom of expression online,” it continued. Critics, however, note that the Trump administration’s own record on free speech has been highly inconsistent. Over the last eight months, the government has emphasized the protection of conservative viewpoints while denouncing others — especially liberal voices, or criticism of Israel. The International Bar Association, which represents legal practitioners in the United States, has described these actions as part of a “wide-ranging crackdown on freedom of speech,” citing measures against student protestors, law firms, and the press. Against this backdrop, the U.S. said it is “committed” to working with the United Nations and its partners. Yet the same communication made clear that Washington sees the current U.N. system as falling short of its expectations. “It is imperative that the UN prioritize its original purpose of maintaining international peace and security and bring back a focus on liberty, the primacy of states in the international system, and shared purpose that defined the founding of the United Nations,” the email read. “In short, multilateralism is not inherently virtuous; rather, the emphasis should be that international organizations are useful convening forums in which sovereign nation states can discuss issues of mutual concern.” Senior Reporter Colum Lynch contributed to this story.