The United States’ Selective Funding Policy For The United Nations Development System

The development system is an essential component of the United Nations,accounting for 72% of all UN activities in 2020 from a financial resource perspective,compared to 16% for peacekeeping operations.Additionally,the UN development system is the largest multilateral aid channel,representing 37% of total multilateral aid.However,the UN development system has faced a severe imbalance between core and non-core resources.According to the report released by the UN Secretary-General in April 2021,the total amount of funding provided to the UN development system in 2019 reached $38.1 billion,with core contributions only amounting to $8.5 billion,slightly higher than 22% of the total funding.This indicates that earmarked funding is prominent in the UN development system,causing concerns in the international community about the quality of multilateral funding.As governments providing assistance increasingly have greater influence on how resources provided through multilateral systems are used and where they are used,this trend is commonly referred to as the bilaterization of multilateral aid,which is expected to weaken multilateralism.The United States is the largest donor to the UN development system,with its contributions accounting for 21% of the total income.This represents approximately one-quarter of government funding.At the same time,over 85% of US funding is earmarked.Therefore,it is necessary to investigate the motives,preferences,and impacts of US earmarked contributions to the UN development system.This article analyzes the characteristics of US earmarked contributions to the UN development system over the past decade and identifies the following three features.First,the amount of US earmarked contributions has increased year by year,but the proportion of assessed contributions has decreased.Second,the top three UN entities receiving its earmarked contributions are the World Food Programme(WFP),the UN Refugee Agency,and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund(UNICEF),indicating that the US is more concerned about humanitarian issues.Third,the share of entities receiving US earmarked contributions has also varied over time,indicating that US earmarked contributions also change with US foreign strategies.The factors behind this can be analyzed from both domestic and international perspectives.In terms of domestic factors,the US seeks to achieve its political goals at the UN,including enhancing its global influence,discourse power,and credibility,as well as promoting its prosperity and creating conditions for its economic development.Each administration has its priority for foreign aid,which is consistent with US foreign policy.From an international perspective,the increase in US earmarked contributions is also a product of great power competition.The US also wants to strengthen its control over the UN’s finances through its earmarked contributions.Through this study,it can be found that the cause of the characteristics of US earmarked contributions is the product of US strategic contraction,which is guided by US values and market output.Overall,the increase in US earmarked contributions to the UN development system will affect UN reform and reduce the autonomy of the UN development system.