event

A UN Without the United States

Tue. September 16th, 202511:00 AM - 12:30 PM (EDT)
Virtual

As the United Nations General Assembly prepares to open its 80th session, relations between the world body and the United States have never been more fraught. President Donald Trump has removed the nation from several UN agencies and slashed U.S. financial support for UN activities, including zeroing out U.S. contributions to peacekeeping. To survive, the UN has embarked on unprecedented cost-cutting while looking to other members to ramp up their diplomatic and financial support.  

What is the rationale for the Trump administration’s dramatic moves? How will they affect the UN’s ongoing work in peace and security; humanitarian assistance; human rights; and sustainable development? As the United States retreats, what countries, if any, might fill this vacuum in leadership, for good or ill? What is the future of the United Nations in a post-American world? 

To explore these and other questions, please join Stewart Patrick in conversation with Allison Lombardo, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs; Colum Lynch, senior global reporter for Devex; and Minh-Thu Pham, non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment. 

This meeting is the first in a series of virtual events we will be hosting in the coming months on the future of the UN without the United States. 

Global GovernanceUnited States
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Allison Lombardo

Senior Associate (Non-resident), Humanitarian Agenda and Human Rights Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Allison Lombardo served as deputy assistant secretary for international organization affairs at the U.S. Department of State, with a focus on human rights and humanitarian affairs during the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Lombardo was a strategy consultant at Deloitte.

Colum Lynch

Senior Global Reporter, Devex

Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. 

Stewart Patrick

Senior Fellow and Director, Global Order and Institutions Program

Stewart Patrick is a senior fellow and director of the Global Order and Institutions Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His primary areas of research focus are the shifting foundations of world order, the future of American internationalism, and the requirements for effective multilateral cooperation on transnational challenges.

Minh-Thu Pham

Nonresident Scholar, Global Order and Institutions Program

Minh-Thu Pham is a nonresident scholar in the Global Order and Institutions Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.