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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - GENEVA — Nearly 500 United Nations staff got together at a Labour Day rally in Geneva to protest against sweeping budget cuts prompted by President Donald Trump's decision to pull the US back from its position as the world’s largest aid donor.
"Reducing the number of UN staff means reducing the means of survival for the fight against famine, for education and for displaced families," said Ian Richards, the president of the UN Geneva staff union.
The Geneva rally, held on the Place des Nations in front of the UN building, comes two days after several UN aid agencies announced they would have to slash jobs due to funding cuts, primarily from the US, warning that the reductions will severely impact aid programmes worldwide.
Other bodies like the UN children's agency UNICEF, and OCHA, the humanitarian agency, have also announced or plan to announce cuts that would impact around 20% of staff and overall budgets.
The cuts to the UN agencies underscore the impact of President Donald Trump's decision to severely reduce the amount the US spends on international humanitarian assistance.
Trump gave billionaire tech ally Elon Musk and his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) the power to rework the scale of the federal government, with a focus on slashing foreign assistance.
Even before the administration's move, many donor nations had reduced humanitarian spending, and UN agencies struggled to reach funding goals.
The World Food Programme, the world’s largest humanitarian organization, received 46% of its funding from the United States in 2024 and is expected to cut up to 30% of its staff.
One WFP official called the cuts "the most massive" seen by the agency in 25 years, and that as a result, operations will disappear or be downsized.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Secretary General Antonio Guterres was "deeply troubled by the drastic funding reduction."
The UN refugee agency, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), provides help to some 43.7 million refugees worldwide, along with others among the 122 million people driven from their homes by conflicts and natural disasters.
The agency's head announced plans to downsize its headquarters and regional offices, aiming to reduce costs by 30% and eliminate 50% of senior-level positions.
In a statement, the agency said it will "have to significantly reduce our workforce," including downsizing its headquarters and regional offices.
Meanwhile, the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, stated in a tatements that it projects its funding will be at least 20% lower in 2025 compared to 2024.
"Hard-earned gains and future progress for children are at risk because of a global funding crisis in which some donors are sharply decreasing their financial support to UNICEF and our partners, as well as their contributions to international aid more broadly," a UNICEF spokesperson said. — Euronews
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