The United Nations is not living up to its potential, US President Donald Trump has said in his first speech at the United Nations.
“Focus more on people, less on bureaucracy,” he told a special meeting on reform which was held at UN headquarters in New York. No state should bear a disproportionate share of costs, he said.
The US pays 28.5% of the overall peacekeeping bill, which Mr Trump has called unfair.
The American leader is due to deliver a longer speech when he addresses the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
He is expected to call for a harder line on North Korea and Iran. “It has not reached its potential because of the bureaucracy and mismanagement,” he said on Monday.
While still a candidate for the US presidency, Mr Trump sharply criticised the UN, speaking of its “utter weakness and incompetence”.
“It has not reached its potential because of the bureaucracy and mismanagement,” he said.
