Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign, released the following statement regarding the Biden Administration’s 2024 federal budget proposal:
As the world grapples with the continued fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine, and as the U.S. faces increased competition from China, President Biden’s budget helps secure America’s role as a global leader.
The proposal fully funds the U.S. share of the United Nations regular and peacekeeping budgets, underscoring the UN’s essential role in advancing American interests across the globe.
The international affairs budget is funded at $70.6 billion in discretionary non-emergency funding — 14% above the 2023 non-emergency enacted level.
At $1.94 billion, the budget provides full funding of the U.S. share of peacekeeping operations, as well as a critical down payment of $344 million on past dues owed. The budget request also recognizes the major financial difficulties the U.S. places on the UN by paying regular budget dues many months later than almost every other country and calls for easing the UN’s liquidity crisis by providing $40 million to begin “resynchronizing” payments to the UN regular budget.
Finally, the proposal includes $150 million to support a U.S. return to UNESCO — the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — which does essential work in a number of areas, including promoting international Holocaust education and press freedom, disseminating guidance to governments to minimize educational disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, and helping to protect and restore cultural heritage sites that have been threatened or destroyed by extremists.
