UN agrees on deep cuts to peacekeeping

UNITED NATIONS, United States: A deal on cutting nearly $600 million from the UN peacekeeping budget was reached Wednesday following weeks of negotiations over US demands for sharp cost reductions, UN diplomats said.

Under the deal reached by a General Assembly budget committee, the United Nations will spend $7.3 billion on peacekeeping in the coming year, down from the current $7.87 billion—roughly a seven percent cut—according to diplomats familiar with the negotiations.