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United Nations warily awaits Donald Trump’s return to power

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The United Nations has been planning for the possible return of Donald Trump and the cuts to U.S. funding and engagement with world body that are likely to come with his second term as president.

There was a sense of "déjà vu and some trepidation" at the 193-member world body, said one senior Asian diplomat, as Republican Trump won Tuesday's U.S. election over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

"There is also some hope that a transactional administration will engage the U.N. on some areas even if it were to defund some dossiers. After all, what bigger and better global stage is there than the United Nations?" said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A U.S. retreat at the U.N. could open the door for China, which has been building its influence in global diplomacy.

Trump has offered few specifics about foreign policy in his second term but supporters say the force of his personality and his "peace through strength" approach will help bend foreign leaders to his will. He has vowed to solve the war in Ukraine and is expected to give strong

support to Israel in its conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

Among the top concerns at the U.N. are whether the United States will decide to contribute less money to the world body and withdraw from key multinational institutions and agreements, including the world Heath Organization and the Paris climate agreement.

U.S. funding is the immediate worry. Washington is the U.N.'s largest contributor - with China second - accounting for 22% of the core U.N. budget and 27% of the peacekeeping budget.

A country can be up to two years in arrears before facing the possible repercussion of losing its General Assembly vote.

Trump came to power last time proposing to cut about a third off U.S. diplomacy and aid budgets, which included steep reductions in funding for U.N. peacekeeping and international organizations. But Congress, which sets the federal U.S. government budget, pushed back on Trump's proposal.

A U.N. spokesperson said at the time the proposed cuts would have made it impossible to continue all essential work.

"The U.N. secretariat has known that they could face a Trump comeback all year. There has been prudent planning behind the scenes on how to manage potential U.S. budget cuts," said Richard Gowan, U.N. director at the International Crisis Group.

"So (U.N. Secretary-General Antonio) Guterres and his team are not totally unprepared, but they know the next year will be extremely hard," he said.

Trump's team did not immediately respond to a query about his policy toward the U.N. after he takes office in January.

During his first term, Trump complained that the U.S. was shouldering an unfair burden of the cost of the U.N. and pushed for reforms. Washington is traditionally slow to pay and when Trump left office in 2021 the U.S. was in arrears about $600 million for the core budget and $2 billion for peacekeeping.

According to U.N. figures, President Joe Biden's administration currently owes $995 million for the core U.N. budget and $862 million for the peacekeeping budget.

"I don't want to pre-empt or speak about policies that may or may not happen, but we work with member states in the way we've always worked with member states," Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday.

In 2026, the U.N. Security Council will choose Guterres' successor, a decision in which the Trump administration will hold a veto power.

'GREAT NEWS FOR CHINA'

During Trump's first term, he was critical of the United Nations and wary of multilateralism. He announced plans to quit the World Health Organization, and pulled out of the U.N. Human Rights Council, the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, a global climate change accord and the Iran nuclear deal.

When Biden succeeded him in 2021, he rescinded the U.S. decision to withdraw from the WHO and returned the U.S. to UNESCO and the climate agreement. Trump's campaign has said he would quit the climate deal again if he won office.

"It will survive. But, of course, it will probably survive severely undermined," Guterres told Reuters in September of a second withdrawal from the climate pact by Trump.

Ahead of the U.S. election, a senior European diplomat said a Trump win would be "great news for China," recalling that during Trump's first term "the Chinese influence in the U.N. increased a lot because it was an open bar for the Chinese."

The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Trump again cuts U.N. funding and withdraws from international pacts "it will just give China the opportunity to present itself as the supporter number one of multilateralism."

U.S. funding for some other U.N. agencies is also in question. One of the first moves by the Trump administration in 2017 was to cut funding for U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), the international body's agency focused on family planning as well as maternal and child health in more than 150 countries.

Trump's administration said UNFPA "supports ... a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization." The U.N. said that was an inaccurate perception. Biden restored U.S. funding for UNFPA.

If Trump again cuts funding, UNFPA warned that "women will lose lifesaving services in some of the world's most devastating crises" in places like Afghanistan, Sudan and Ukraine.

Under Trump's first presidency, the U.S. also opposed long-agreed international language on women's sexual and reproductive rights and health in U.N. resolutions over concern that it would advance abortion rights.

A senior African diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, summed up the impending return of Trump for multilateralism and the United Nations: "The heavens help us."

(Reuters) 

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Baradar says water crisis has negatively impacted relations between nations

Baradar expressed regret that although Afghanistan has vast water resources, effective and professional management has not been carried out in this area.

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Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, said on Thursday that the ongoing water crisis in the country has not only made neighboring countries face the problem of water scarcity, but it has also had a negative impact on political and economic relations between Afghanistan and these countries.

Speaking at a seminar held by the Ministry of Energy and Water, Baradar said that although water is a renewable natural resource, the shortage of water due to climate change, the increase in the level of water pollution, the growing demand of the people and its excessive consumption affects the country.

He expressed regret that although Afghanistan has vast water resources, effective and professional management has not been carried out in this area.

“It is now the responsibility of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to fulfill its national duty for the optimal management of the country’s water resource,” Baradar said.

“With firm determination, we aim to use all available means to ensure sustainable development in water management.”

Last month, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also warned that Afghanistan is experiencing a severe water crisis, and if no action is taken, Kabul’s underground water resources could be depleted by 2030.

In a message on X, UNICEF reported that Roza Otunbayeva, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and Tajudeen Oyewale, head of UNICEF Afghanistan, visited a Kabul district to assess the city's water supply network.

Both officials expressed concern over the worsening water shortage problem in the capital.

"Water is life," UNICEF stated, emphasizing that rapid urbanization and climate change are accelerating the depletion of groundwater in Kabul.

“If we don't act now, we cannot stop this process."

The rapid population growth, unplanned construction of high-rise buildings, urban development without proper planning, and the excessive use of underground water resources are major factors contributing to the decline in both the quantity and quality of groundwater in Kabul.

Although Kabul has faced water shortages for years, the crisis has become more severe in recent times.

However, the Islamic Emirate is making concerted efforts to resolve the problem and thwart the crisis.

Three weeks ago, the office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, said in a statement that plans to construct a total of 355 water reservoirs across the country were being implemented.

According to the statement, of the 355 dams, a number of them have already been completed and inaugurated while others are under construction.

Of these reservoirs, 138 are being constructed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock; 117 by the Ministry of Water and Energy; and 100 by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development.

All of these dams are being funded by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the statement read.

The reservoirs are being constructed in numerous provinces to manage rainwater, prevent flooding, strengthen groundwater levels and for use by communities.

Iran’s water share

Late last year, Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian warned that if Afghanistan does not ensure Tehran receives its rightful amount of water from Helmand River, Iran will use legal and international means to resolve the problem.

Mehrabian stressed that Helmand River water is Iran's indisputable right, and that Iran takes the matter seriously.

“Water right is Iran's right and it is necessary to release it. Ensuring water rights is not optional, but it is mandatory based on the international treaty of 1351. Pursuing this matter is Iran's absolute right and we will not fail in this regard. The recent rains should cause the release of our water, and if not, we will take serious action based on international laws,” stressed Mehrabian.

At the time, the Islamic Emirate said it was committed to providing Iran with water from the Helmand River but due to drought, there is not enough water in the river to give Iran its share.

The Helmand River Water Treaty was signed between Afghanistan and Iran in 1973, according to which Iran has the right to receive 850 million cubic meters of water from Afghanistan annually.

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Pakistan rejects suggestion of appointing a new special envoy for Afghanistan

Islamabad however continues to accuse Afghanistan of providing safe havens to militant groups that target Pakistan, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

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Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has dismissed rumors that Islamabad is considering appointing a new special representative for Afghanistan.

Baloch said on Thursday that there was no truth in these reports but that special envoys for Afghanistan from Russia and China had recently visited Pakistan and met with officials.

In August, Pakistan dismissed its special envoy to Afghanistan, Asif Durrani, and has not yet appointed a replacement.

Addressing a weekly briefing on Thursday, Baloch also raised the issue of militant groups in Afghanistan.

She also announced the latest data on Afghan refugees and said so far this year, Pakistan has expelled almost 800,000 undocumented migrants from the neighboring country.

She said the process still continues to ensure a "successful and smooth return" of illegal Afghan nationals.

"Since November 2023 to October 2024, so far 757,008 undocumented Afghans were sent back to Afghanistan," Baloch said, adding that the figure also includes those who returned voluntarily.

According to UN figures, some 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees in Pakistan, while another 880,000 have legal status to stay.

Pakistan started its crackdown on all foreigners living in the country illegally late last year.

According to Islamabad, the rise in militant attacks led them to making this decision.

Islamabad however continues to accuse Afghanistan of providing safe havens to militant groups that target Pakistan, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

This claim has repeatedly been rejected by the Islamic Emirate, who state they will not allow any group to use Afghan soil against another country.

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Afghan families still in need of vital support, one year after Herat earthquakes

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Plagued by a severe funding shortfall, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has warned that with winter rapidly approaching, the outlook for at least 25,000 Afghan families in Herat is bleak as they still lack adequate shelter a year after deadly earthquakes struck the province.

On October 7, 11 and 15 of last year, massive earthquakes hit the province, leaving over 275,000 people in urgent need of assistance.

The three 6.3 magnitude earthquakes devastated 382 villages, resulted in the death of 1,480 people and injured nearly 2,000 others.

Homes, health centers, schools and essential infrastructure were destroyed in an instant, further exacerbating the vulnerability of communities already grappling with the aftermath of decades of conflict and economic hardship.

While assistance was mobilized quickly, the challenges remain significant as many families continue to struggle in the wake of the earthquakes and have found it hard to recover – both psychologically and materially.

One such family is led by Tahmina, a 25-year-old mother from one of the worst-affected villages in Herat.

The earthquakes claimed the lives of fourteen members of her family, including her parents, siblings and younger relatives. Her children remain traumatized by the events, with one unable to laugh or walk since that tragic day.

Tahmina’s story reflects the difficulties faced by countless other Afghan families who were also affected by the earthquakes.

However, a severe funding shortfall is posing major challenges to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), which has helped drive the humanitarian assistance process in Herat and across Afghanistan.

In a report published this week, UNOCHA said Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) faces a severe funding shortfall, having received only $961.7 million - 31.4 percent of the $3.06 billion required.

This $2.09 billion funding gap threatens essential aid programmes as humanitarian needs remain acute.

The agency also reported that from July to September, widespread flash floods impacted more than 18,900 people across 14 provinces, damaging homes, livestock and agricultural assets, which are vital resources for food security.

“Additionally, since January 2024, cross-border returns have surged, with over 1.1 million Afghans returning from Iran and Pakistan - 243,000 from Pakistan and 825,000 from Iran - adding further strain on limited resources,” the report read.

UNOCHA stated that the critical funding gap of $2.09 billion includes an urgent $1.09 billion shortfall in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and shelter sectors.

As a result of this shortfall, 3.7 million people have been left without access to primary and secondary healthcare services, while hundreds of thousands of children and pregnant women are missing essential nutritional support.

Emergency shelter and sanitation resources are also lacking, leaving thousands affected by floods and earthquakes without long-term housing solutions, the report read.

In addition, food assistance has been scaled back, excluding entire districts from critical support and increasing the risk of malnutrition.

UNOCHA in turn appealed to donors to provide timely and consistent funding to sustain humanitarian operations and ensure aid reaches those in greatest need.

“Increased international engagement with Afghan authorities could also facilitate access and support the effective delivery of assistance,” the report read, adding that “without prompt action to address the critical funding gap, Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis will deepen, leaving millions in precarious and increasingly vulnerable conditions.

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