UN to cut 20% of staff due to funding shortage: thousands face layoffs
Kyiv • UNN
The UN demands a 20% staff reduction to overcome the financial deficit. Layoffs will occur in many departments, including humanitarian and refugee support offices.
The UN has been ordered to cut 20% of its staff as part of a reform aimed at organizing work in the context of limited funding. The cuts must be submitted by mid-June. This is reported by the Associated Press, writes UNN.
Details
More than 60 UN units, including humanitarian and political offices, as well as structures working in the field of refugee support, gender equality, international trade, environmental protection and urban development, must submit proposals for staff reductions.
The UN is going to carry out layoffs as part of large-scale reforms by Secretary-General António Guterres, who plans to cut the organization's budget by 15-20% - about $3.72 billion.
UN spokesman Stefan Dujarric told reporters that the cuts affect about 14,000 posts covered by the regular budget, or the usual 2,800 posts.
Proposals for cuts must be submitted by June 13. The UN spokesman noted that they will be taken into account in the 2026 budget, which the General Assembly will consider and approve in December 2025.
According to internal documents obtained by the Associated Press, the World Food Program (WFP) is expected to cut up to 30% of its staff. The head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) plans to reduce staff at headquarters and in the regions by 30%, and to cut half of the management positions. Other agencies, including UNICEF and the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, are also preparing for cuts.
The publication also notes that in 2024, 152 out of 193 UN member states paid their contributions in full, including China, but 41 countries, including the United States, did not.
Reminder
As UNN wrote earlier, the UN Secretariat is preparing to cut its budget by $3.7 billion by 20% and lay off about 6,900 employees. The reason is the financial crisis, in particular due to non-payment of contributions by the United States.