Trump has achieved 'impossible' UN reforms, but 'moral rot' remains, US ambassador tells i24NEWS
Bartos warned that the UN's financial reforms were only the beginning of a much larger effort to transform the institution
US Ambassador Jeff Bartos praised President Donald Trump's sweeping reforms at the United Nations, but warned that fundamental institutional problems remain.
Speaking to i24NEWS on Sunday, Bartos said that the Trump administration had achieved unprecedented reforms at the UN, including $1.1 billion in budget cuts, the elimination of more than 4,000 civilian positions and changes to how troop-contributing countries are reimbursed.
"Reforming the UN was thought to be impossible until President Trump came along," Bartos said, recalling an op-ed he co-authored with Ambassador Mike Waltz in January.
Bartos credited Trump's leadership with bringing all 193 member states together to approve the reforms by consensus, arguing that the organization had been heading toward bankruptcy.
However, he warned that financial reforms were only the beginning of a much larger effort to transform the institution.
"The task ahead of us, for sure, is to reform the rot that lives within the institution, the cultural, moral, ethical rot," Bartos said.
He specifically criticized the UN Human Rights Council, its special rapporteurs and what he described as systemic problems within the organization's human rights mechanisms.
Bartos called for further reforms to the UN's development operations and a renewed focus on its core mission of maintaining international peace and security.
Looking ahead to the selection of the next UN Secretary-General, Bartos declined to endorse any candidate or predict the outcome.
Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that American leadership, alongside the Security Council and General Assembly, would secure a successor before the end of 2026.
"I'm confident we'll get there. We'll get there this year," he said.