US assures UN of support but stresses reform needed to 'exceed' potential

US assures UN of support but stresses reform needed to 'exceed' potential Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Wed, 04/01/2026 - 21:09 The Trump administration's UN reform envoy said peacekeeping missions must be reined in Peacekeepers with the United Nations interim force in Lebanon drive past firefighters clearing the road at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike in the area of Naqura in southern Lebanon, on 27 March 2026 (Kawnat Hajju/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump still believes in the core missions of the United Nations, and wants to work with it to "exceed its potential", the administration's envoy for UN reform told Middle East Eye at a briefing for reporters on Wednesday in Washington, DC. The US president has not been shy about his disdain for elements of the institution , and earlier this year withdrew US funding from several UN and UN-adjacent organisations, including the UN register of conventional arms and the Global Counterterrorism Forum - issues that have generally been important across all US administrations, regardless of political leaning. Trump also pulled back from climate-related initiatives.