United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres proposed the need for major staff cuts, including the elimination of 20% of civilian workers in key departments of the U.N. secretariat, and to make hard decisions to eliminate a range of programs they can no longer afford.
The sober briefing on Monday came in response to the Trump administration’s campaign to dramatically scale back U.S. foreign aid, setting a target of some 87% of cuts in its contributions to U.N. activities in a recent budget proposal — though it’s by no means certain the final cut will be that large. The briefing also coincided with moves by the U.N. chief humanitarian, refugee, and migration agencies — which rely on voluntary donations — to lay off thousands of workers.
In Monday’s address to the U.N. membership, Guterres sought to underscore the urgency of undertaking a dramatic set of reforms to shrink the U.N. workforce, eliminate unnecessary tasks, and merge U.N. agencies that may duplicate the work of other U.N. outfits.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
