REUTERS•GETTY
Donald Trump's new UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, has warned she will 'take names'
Nikki Haley issued the blunt caution ahead of a meeting with new UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres in New York on Friday.
After Trump warned “things would be different” at the UN during his presidency, Haley was quick to support her new boss and told reporters: “We’re going to make it better.”
REUTERS
Haley met with UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres yesterday
You are going to see a change in the way we do business.
Nikki Haley
She said: “Our goal with the administration is to show value at the UN and the way that we'll show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure that our allies have our back as well.
“For those that don't have our back, we're taking names, we will make points to respond to that accordingly.”
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Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, has little foreign policy experience but will take on an important role within the UN given the US’s significant contributions to the world body.
The US provides more than a fifth of UN funding, while the next highest benefactor, Japan, gives only around 10 per cent of the total budget.
The US also provides 28 per cent of the peacekeeping budget, a contribution which could be reduced following claims the President could bring in UN funding cuts of up to 40 per cent.
Haley spoke positively about relations with the UN, telling reporters: "Everything that's working, we're going to make it better, everything that's not working we're going to try and fix, and anything that seems to be obsolete and not necessary we're going to do away with."
GETTY
Donald Trump has previously been critical of the UN
She added: “You are going to see a change in the way we do business.
“It's no longer about working harder, it's about working smarter.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Mr Guterres was “pleased” with his first discussions with the Trump administration, adding: “The United States is a critical partner to the United Nations."
No further details were given on the subjects discussed during the meeting.
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