Geneva has experienced an exodus of United Nations staff in the last few years, with multiple agencies slimming down their operations in search of cheaper climes. Rumors continue to swirl in the press and among industry insiders that further U.N. functions will soon find their homes outside the Swiss city, which hosts approximately 40 agencies — some dating as far back as 1948 — and 9,500 staff members altogether.
The next big move could be the result of Umoja — a multiyear enterprise resource planning project to consolidate U.N. information technology and administrative systems, which would put every agency and program on the same platform and combine information technology support staff in the same place. However, that place may not be Geneva.
“There is a realistic chance that some of [these relocations] could happen because the short-term considerations of cost are swaying things,” said Ian Richards, executive secretary of the U.N. office at Geneva’s staff council, adding that this could affect hundreds of jobs as well as the economy in the Geneva region. “But that is very hypothetical at the moment.”
About the author
Aliyah Esmail
Aliyah Esmail is a freelance journalist and communications professional with a fascination for the economic and political realities facing nongovernmental organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Carlton University in journalism and film studies and is now working on a postgraduate certificate from the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute in Global Health. She has worked for the government of Canada as well as a number of international organizations.
