Nearly 500 United Nations staff met during a gathering of the Labor Day in Geneva to protest against the radical budgetary bullets caused by President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from his position as the largest donor of aid in the world.
“The reduction in the number of UN staff members means reducing survival means for the fight against famine, for education and for displaced families,” said Ian Richards, president of the United Nations Geneva Staff Union.
The Rally of Geneva, held in the Nations in front of the United Nations building, comes two days after several United Nations aid agencies announced that they should reduce jobs due to funding reductions, mainly from the United States, warning that reductions will have a serious impact on the world's assistance programs.
Other organizations such as the United Nations UNICEF and OCHA children's agency, the humanitarian agency, have also announced or planned to announce discounts that would have an impact on 20% of the staff and global budgets.
Reductions of UN agencies highlight the impact of President Donald Trump's decision to considerably reduce the amount that the United States spends in international humanitarian assistance.
Trump gave Billionaire Tech Ally Elon Musk and his new Ministry of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) the power to rework the extent of the federal government, emphasizing the reduction of foreign aid.
Even before the moving of the administration, many donor countries had reduced humanitarian spending and the United Nations agencies struggled to achieve the financing objectives.
The World Food Program, the world's largest humanitarian organization, obtained 46% of its United States funding in 2024 and is expected to reduce up to 30% of its staff.
A PAM official qualified the “most massive” cuts seen by the agency in 25 years, and this, therefore, the operations will disappear or be reduced.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that secretary general Antonio Guterres was “deeply disturbed by the drastic reduction in funding”.
The United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), provides aid to some 43.7 million refugees worldwide, as well as others among the 122 million people driven out of their homes by conflicts and natural disasters.
The head of the agency has announced its intention to repress its head offices and regional offices, aimed at reducing costs by 30% and eliminating 50% of higher level positions.
In a statement, the agency said that it “will have to considerably reduce our workforce”, in particular by reducing its headquarters and its regional offices.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Agency for Children, UNICEF, said in a blow that it provides that its funding will be at least 20% lower in 2025 compared to 2024.
“Hardly won earnings and future progress for children are threatened due to a global funding crisis in which some donors strongly decrease their financial support to UNICEF and our partners, as well as their contributions to international aid more widely,” said a UNICEF spokesperson.
