Ivanka Trump is seen as an important influence on her father
UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Reuters) - Ivanka Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and informal adviser, met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for lunch at U.N. headquarters in New York on Friday amid a push by the president to slash funding for the world body.
Ivanka Trump is seen as an important influence on her father, and her husband, Jared Kushner, is a top adviser to him.
A White House official said Guterres had reached out to Ivanka Trump to "to discuss areas of common interest after the launch of the World Bank's economic facility to advance women's entrepreneurship."
During the G20 in Germany earlier this month, the World Bank launched a public-private loan program aimed at providing more than $1 billion to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries, a project she initiated five months ago.
Trump, who ran an eponymous clothing and jewelry business before taking a job at the White House, has made women's issues one of her signature policy areas.
The United Nations had no immediate comment on Friday's lunch.
The United States is the biggest U.N. contributor, providing 22 percent of the $5.4 billion biennial core budget and 28.5 percent of its $7.3 billion peacekeeping budget. These assessed contributions are agreed by the 193-member General Assembly.
Ultimately the U.S. Congress will decide how much money is available for U.N. funding. Republicans, who control both houses, and Democrats have said they do not support drastic cuts proposed by the president, who has called the U.S. share of the U.N.'s budget unfair.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Steve Holland in Washington)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
