US election live updates: Donald Trump’s administration is taking shape and key appointments are underway

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York

The spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, was just asked about Elise Stefanik.

We previously learned that Donald Trump will appoint Stefanik as US ambassador to the United Nations.

Dujarric says they will work constructively with the next UN ambassador, just as they do with any other country.

One UN agency that prepares for any eventuality is UNFPA, the UN Agency for Sexual and Reproductive Health. It has been denied funding by Republican administrations over the past 40 years, including Trump’s first, because of what the agency says is a factually incorrect “persistent myth” that it is involved in forced abortions or involuntary sterilizations in China.

Based on past experience, it will almost certainly lose U.S. financial support again. The agency says this would result in women losing life-saving services in some of the world’s most devastating crises. According to the agency, it would no longer be possible to operate 13 mother-child health centers in Afghanistan and thus care for almost 80,000 needy women and girls.

And in Sudan, over half a million people will have limited access to reproductive health services.

Sarah Craven, head of the UNFPA office in Washington, says it’s not just about the money, but also about the loss of political support.

“I’m concerned about real mainstreaming of funding for global health and overall engagement, not just in our sector but overall.”