WASHINGTON, D.C., October 6, 2026 — Liberia has raised concerns over mounting financial pressures facing the United Nations and other multilateral institutions, saying reduced United States engagement and funding are placing additional strain on the international system.
In a submission addressing developments at the United Nations and in West Africa, Liberia noted that the United States has historically been the UN’s largest financial contributor and said reductions and withholding of funding under President Donald Trump’s administration are contributing to broader financial pressures across UN agencies.
“U.S. retrenchment continues to pressure the multilateral system,” the submission stated.
Liberia said the situation could result in an increasingly resource-constrained United Nations at a time when greater international support is being sought for peacebuilding, conflict prevention and development.
The submission also highlighted challenges confronting regional integration in West Africa, particularly relations between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Liberia said developments surrounding ECOWAS-AES relations should be closely monitored to determine whether current diplomatic efforts will lead to a more structured dialogue between the two blocs.
The assessment comes as ECOWAS operates under its new Commission President, General Birame Diop, who assumed office on August 31, 2026. ECOWAS has identified regional unity and integration among the priorities of its new leadership.
Liberia also called for attention to the strategic review of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), particularly issues involving preventive diplomacy, terrorism, democratic transitions, climate-related security challenges and relations between ECOWAS and the AES.
The submission further stressed the need to deepen intra-African trade and link Liberia’s regional diplomacy to practical trade facilitation.
It referenced recent calls by Liberia’s customs brokers for stronger African trade integration and the removal of barriers to commerce, arguing that the country’s engagement with ECOWAS and the African Continental Free Trade Area should increasingly connect political integration with economic opportunities.
The document also highlighted concerns surrounding changes in U.S. assistance to Africa, including the implementation of bilateral health arrangements, saying developments in Washington could have implications for funding flows to African countries.
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