UN to Reduce Humanitarian Staff by 20%

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that it will reduce its workforce of 2,600 employees across more than 60 countries by 20%, due to severe funding cuts.

Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, expressed that the humanitarian sector was already struggling with limited financial resources and mounting pressure, and the latest funding reductions have exacerbated the situation.

Fletcher described the financial shortfall as a "literal attack" on humanitarian efforts.

In a message to staff, Fletcher did not specifically name the country responsible for the funding cuts but pointed to the United States as a key factor.

He highlighted that the UN humanitarian office's overall budget for 2025 is projected to be about $430 million, noting that several countries had either announced or enacted cuts to resources outside the designated budget for the office.

Fletcher emphasized that the United States has been the largest donor to humanitarian aid for decades and remains the largest contributor to resources outside the OCHA's budget, funding nearly 20% of the total, which amounts to $63 million for 2025.

However, it remains unclear whether the US has reduced this specific amount.