Why the UN still matters across the Maghreb

In our increasingly un-reported World, well, that part of the media circus that doesn’t involve celebrity and assorted trivia, it is un-reported that the United Nations has embarked on a process – with little consultation – of re-locating whole functions of the organization out of New York and of cutting budgets savagely. UN Peacekeeping and Political Affairs are facing swingeing cuts of 20%. Other key UN agencies that are separate to UN headquarters and which will affect countries such as Morocco, such as the International Organisation for Migration are also facing heavy cuts. The process appears to being spearheaded by Guy Ryder, who by some terrible irony is the former heard of the International Labour Organisation. All of this is happening because the US is reviewing its contributions to the United Nations, as well as its links with international organisations more generally. This review was initiated by an executive order from President Trump, which directed the Secretary of State and the U.S. Representative to the UN to conduct such a review. In practical terms this mean that the US, which has been paying 22% of the UN budget and 26% of the peacekeeping budget, has not paid up this year. If it doesn’t this in effect will make China, which is currently the second largest contributor at around 19%, the biggest funder of the United Nations. The potential for China and other key players to up their game at the UN is writ large. The prospect for a campaign to move UN headquarters out of New York, perhaps to Nairobi, altogether should the US administration turn its back on the organisation, can only get stronger.

All of this is taking place against a backdrop against the opening salvoes of a campaign to replace the sitting UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, who will retire next year. There are some strong candidates for the role and there is a great deal of pressure for the UN Security Council to opt for a female SG for the first time. This column will aim, over the next period, to keep you informed – ahead of the curve – of where this process may take the World. For Morocco, for the Maghreb, for the global South in general, the UN is arguably needed more than ever. And with the added ingredient that this time around the World’s ‘secular Pope’, could and should be the candidate of the global South and a woman. For here lies the hope that multilateralism and an international rules based order can be defended, since there currently seems less appetite to do so from the United States in particular.

*Mark Seddon is a former Speechwriter to UN Secretary-General Ban ki moon & former Adviser to the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly