THE United Nations will begin slashing its peacekeeping force and operations, forcing thousands of soldiers in the next several months to evacuate far-flung global hotspots, a senior UN official said on Wednesday.

This follows the slashing of United States funding to the world body.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, briefed reporters Wednesday on the 25 per cent reduction in peacekeepers worldwide as the US, the largest UN donor, prioritises President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy.

Roughly 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel out of more than 50,000 peacekeepers deployed across nine global missions will be sent back to their home countries.

The UN support office in Somalia will also be affected. The UN plans to reduce the peacekeeping force’s budget by approximately 15 per cent for this year.

The countries where the UN has peacekeeping missions include Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Kosovo.

Each of the UN’s 193 member countries is legally obliged to pay its share toward peacekeeping.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has argued that with a budget “representing a tiny fraction of global military spending — around one half of 1 per cent — UN peacekeeping remains one of the most effective and cost-effective tools to build international peace and security.”

The decision to institute a major overhaul of the peacekeeping force — known globally for their distinctive blue berets or helmets — followed a meeting Tuesday between Mr Guterres and representatives from major donor countries, including Mike Waltz, the new US ambassador to the United Nations.

Mr Waltz and other Trump administration officials have argued that the UN’s budget and agencies are bloated and redundant, pledging not to make any further contributions until the State Department has assessed the effectiveness of every single UN agency or programme.

At the UN, more than 60 offices, agencies and operations are facing 20 per cent job cuts, part of Mr Guterres’ reform effort and reaction to already announced US funding cuts.

UN peacekeeping operations have grown dramatically. At the end of the cold war in the early 1990s, there were 11,000 UN peacekeepers.

By 2014, there were 130,000 in 16 peacekeeping operations. Today, about 52,000 men and women serve in 11 conflict areas in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Contributions from the US and China make up half of the UN’s peacekeeping budget.

Another senior UN source said China has indicated it will be paying its full contribution by the end of the year.