NEW DELHI: The UN peacekeeping chief warned Tuesday that the &quot;indispensable&quot; role played by peacekeepers was facing challenges due to budget cuts, as funding shortfalls translate into troop reductions. &quot;We do not have a choice but to implement these reductions, which are due to the partial non-payment by some states,&quot; Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told representatives from 32 UN troop-contributing countries. &quot;The international community is divided,&quot; he said in New Delhi. &quot;As a result, the appetite for collective responses to crises is diminishing.&quot; Shortfall in budget&nbsp;UN officials said earlier this month there was 16&ndash;17% shortfall in the peacekeeping budget, largely linked to US aid cuts. As a result, a 25% troop reduction will be spread across nine of the 11 peacekeeping missions. The United States was expected to contribute $1.3 billion of the $5.4 billion budget for 2025-2026 peacekeeping operations. But it has told the United Nations it will only pay around half that amount, or $682 million, which includes $85 million for a new international anti-gang mission in Haiti that was not in the original budget. Slashed foreign aid&nbsp;President Donald Trump has long claimed that international institutions have taken advantage of the United States and has slashed foreign aid. Lacroix emphasized the achievements of peacekeepers over the decades. &quot;The list, as we know, is very long of countries which successfully reached stability with the support of peacekeeping,&quot; he said. &lsquo;Indispensable&rsquo; role&nbsp;&quot;They make the difference between life and death for hundreds of thousands of civilians. They monitor ceasefires. They help build national key capabilities. Their role is indispensable.&quot; Despite the budget cuts, the overall security landscape has &quot;deteriorated&quot;, he added, demanding more of the truncated force. &quot;We&#39;re facing emerging drivers of conflict such as the impact of climate change, the role of international global terrorism and... the negative aspect of digital technology.&quot;

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UN officials said earlier this month there was 16–17% shortfall in the budget, largely linked to US cuts; as a result, 25% troop reduction will be spread across nine of the 11 peacekeeping missions.

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'Indispensable' peacekeeping operations threatened by cuts, UN warns

'Indispensable' peacekeeping operations threatened by cuts, UN warns