United States: Withdrawal from International Organisations

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Tuesday 13th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I completely agree with the noble Lord and thank him for raising Sudan and what has happened in Darfur. I was encouraged to see the United States’ commitment to OCHA under the leadership of Tom Fletcher. I am meeting Tom tomorrow, and I will be discussing the very issues that the noble Lord has mentioned.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, the various UN peacekeeping missions around the world—I think there are currently 14—have a vital role to play. However, those of us who have had the privilege of visiting many of those missions know that some are notoriously poorly run and have limited cost control. Can the Minister tell the House what measures she will take in this very austere time for the UN to make sure that we get better value for money from these organisations and peacekeeping missions?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

There is a lot more involved in this than peacekeeping, but it is a very important element of what the United Nations and other multilateral organisations involve themselves in. The point about value and efficiency is critical. We are being quite forward-leaning, as they would say in the Foreign Office, about our desire to see reform and change. It matters that this money ought to find its way to the front line, be that in support of a peacekeeping mission in Somalia or for maternal health in Kenya. Efficiency and value for money matter in their own right, but also because we want to sustain and grow public confidence.