New York: The United Nations has instructed over 60 of its offices, agencies, and operations to submit proposals by mid-June to cut their workforce by 20%, as part of a major reform initiative aimed at streamlining operations in the face of a severe funding crisis.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric explained that the planned cuts would affect approximately 14,000 positions funded by the regular budget, equivalent to around 2,800 jobs.
He noted that the reductions will impact staff across various UN political and humanitarian offices, as well as agencies that support refugees, promote gender equality, and work on issues such as international trade, environmental protection, and urban development.
He added that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is also included in the list, along with personnel from UN peacekeeping missions deployed around the world.
In a related development, Chandramouli Ramanathan, the UN Controller, said in a memo to affected agencies that the staff reductions are part of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s objective to cut the organization’s current $3.72 billion budget by 15 percent to 20 percent.
It is worth noting that the United Nations and its agencies have faced chronic funding shortfalls for years, due to reduced contributions from many donors and member states. This has significantly impacted the organization’s ability to finance various humanitarian and development programs.
