Latest news with #ChandramouliRamanathan
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
UN seeks 20% cut in staff to help deal with a funding shortfall
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — More than 60 United Nations offices, agencies and operations have been ordered to submit proposals by mid-June to cut 20% of their staff, as part of a major reform effort to consolidate operations in the face of a critical funding crunch. The cuts affect about 14,000 posts covered by the regular budget, or about 2,800 posts, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday. These include staff in the U.N.'s political and humanitarian offices, and its agencies helping refugees, promoting gender equality and dealing with international trade, the environment and cities. The U.N. agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is also on the list. U.N. Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan said in a memo to the affected agencies that the staff cuts are part of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' goal of achieving a reduction of between 15% and 20% in the U.N.'s current budget of $3.72 billion. The cuts are part of the UN80 reform initiative launched by Guterres in March as the world body approaches its 80th anniversary later this year. The U.N. chief has dismissed any relationship with the cuts to foreign aid and other programs by U.S. President Donald Trump. Instead, he has pointed to shrinking U.N. resources over at least the past seven years as not all member states pay their yearly dues and many don't pay on time. The U.S., with the world's biggest economy, is expected to pay 22% of the regular budget, while China, with the second-largest economy, recently had its share raised to 20%. Last year, 152 of the U.N.'s 193 member nations paid their dues in full, including China, but 41 countries did not, including the United States. The controller's memo, obtained Thursday night by The Associated Press, gives advice to the heads of agencies on which posts to cut: 'Assess functions based on efficiency; Prioritize based on impact; Target redundant, overlapping or non-critical functions or roles for consolidation or abolition.' Guterres and his predecessors in past decades have struggled to reform the United Nations, which was established following World War II, and bring it into a modern era with different powers, new technology and greater global divisions. One key problem is that while the secretary-general is the U.N.'s chief executive, power rests with the 193 member nations, which have very different ideas about the U.N. and the world. The proposed cuts must be submitted to the controller by June 13. Dujarric said they will be incorporated into Guterres' proposed 2026 budget, to be adopted by the General Assembly in December. The U.N.'s 11 peacekeeping missions are financed by a separate budget, and many of its far-flung agencies and operations are funded entirely by voluntary contributions, including the Rome-based World Food Program, known as WFP. Several U.N. agencies were already planning to slash jobs or cut costs in other ways, with officials pointing to funding reductions mainly from the United States and warning that vital relief programs will be severely affected as a result. WFP is expected to cut up to 30% of its staff, and the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said it would downsize its headquarters and regional offices to reduce costs by 30% and cut senior-level positions by 50%, according to internal memos obtained by the AP. Other agencies, including UNICEF, the U.N. children's agency, and OCHA, the U.N. humanitarian agency, have also announced or plan to make cuts.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
UN to cut budget by 20%, slash 6,900 jobs: internal memo
The United Nations flag flies in front of the Secretariat Building at the United Nations headquarters in New York City September 18, 2015. PHOTO:REUTERS Listen to article The United Nations Secretariat is preparing to cut its $3.7 billion budget by 20% and slash about 6,900 jobs, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. The directive, which asks staff to detail cuts by June 13, comes amid a financial crisis triggered in part by the United States, which annually funds nearly a quarter of the world body. UN may cut staff by 20%, internal memo says — Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2025 In addition to US foreign aid cuts under President Donald Trump that have gutted UN humanitarian agencies, the US owes, for arrears and the current fiscal year, nearly $1.5 billion. The memo's author, UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan, did not cite the US failure to pay. He noted that the cuts are part of a review launched in March dubbed "UN80." "It is an ambitious effort to ensure that the United Nations is fit for purpose to support 21st-century multilateralism, reduce human suffering and build better lives and futures for all," Ramanathan said. "I count on your cooperation for this collective effort whose aggressive timelines are recognized." The cuts would take effect January 1, the start of the next budget cycle. In public briefings to UN diplomats this month, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he is considering a massive overhaul that would merge major departments and shift resources across the globe. He said the UN may consolidate some agencies, trim others, move staff to cheaper cities, cut duplication, and eliminate redundant bureaucracy. "These are times of peril, but they are also times of profound opportunity and obligation," Guterres said on May 12. "Make no mistake: uncomfortable and difficult decisions lie ahead. It may be easier and even tempting to ignore them or kick the can down the road. But that road is a dead end." The US failure to pay its assessments has also created a liquidity crisis for the UN, a problem exacerbated by China's repeated late payments. Together, the two nations account for more than 40% of UN funding In addition, the Trump administration has withdrawn hundreds of millions of dollars in discretionary funds, forcing the abrupt halt of dozens of humanitarian programs that UN officials have said will cost lives. The proposed US budget for the coming year, which must be approved by Congress, has eliminated or drastically reduced funding for several UN programs, including peacekeeping. A U.S. State Department spokesperson did not comment on the proposed UN cuts, but said a Trump-ordered study was due by early August. 'Funding for the UN, along with other international organizations, is currently under review,' the spokesperson said. In April, Tom Fletcher, who leads the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told employees that US funding cuts would force the agency to trim 20% of its staff to address a shortfall of $58 million. Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, said it was unclear if the cuts would affect the Trump administration's position. 'Diplomats think that Guterres hopes that if he shows he will make these cuts, then the administration will ease off on their threats to zero out funding for the UN,' Gowan said. 'That's possible. It's also possible that the administration will just pocket the cuts and not make any concessions.'
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
UN could cut thousands of jobs under reform plans: Internal memo
The cash-strapped United Nations could slash 20 percent of jobs—or thousands of positions—in its executive arm under ongoing reform plans, according to an internal memo seen Thursday by AFP. 'The Secretary-General has set an ambitious target, to achieve a meaningful reduction (between 15 percent and 20 percent) of the regular budget for 2026, including a reduction of 20 percent of posts, for the UN Secretariat,' UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan wrote in a message this week to dozens of department heads. The UN's budget for 2025 totals $3.7 billion. The Secretariat, one of the main bodies tasked with carrying out the decisions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, employed about 35,000 people as of late 2023—most of them in New York, but also in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi. The UN 80 reform initiative launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March aims to streamline operations at the world body amid budgetary constraints. Guterres recently warned of 'painful' changes ahead, including staff reductions, and did obliquely raise the specter of a 20 percent cut in staffing. The memo seen by AFP, dated May 27, asks all department heads to prepare lists of posts to eliminate by June 13, focusing on 'redundant, overlapping or non-critical functions.' 'I count on your cooperation for this collective effort whose aggressive timelines are recognized,' Ramanathan wrote. If approved by the General Assembly, which must adopt the 2026 budget, the staff cuts would go into effect on January 1, 2026 for those posts already vacant, and later for those occupied, in accordance with UN regulations. The memo says that agencies like the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), and UN Women—which are partially funded out of the UN's regular budget—would receive separate instructions. The UN has for years faced a chronic liquidity crisis because some member states do not pay their expected contributions in full, and others do not pay on time. The United States, the top contributor to the UN ordinary budget at 22 percent of the total, was $1.5 billion behind in its payments by the end of January, a UN spokesman said. And in 2024, China, the number two contributor at 20 percent, only paid its contribution in late December. Beyond the liquidity woes, some fear that funding will drop under US President Donald Trump. Several UN agencies have already been hit hard by deep cuts in US foreign aid.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
UN could cut thousands of jobs under reform plans: internal memo
The cash-strapped United Nations could slash 20 percent of jobs or thousands of positions in its executive arm under ongoing reform plans, according to an internal memo seen Thursday by AFP. "The Secretary-General has set an ambitious target, to achieve a meaningful reduction of the regular budget for 2026, including a reduction of 20 percent of posts, for the UN Secretariat," UN controller Chandramouli Ramanathan wrote in a message this week to dozens of department heads. The UN's budget for 2025 totals $3.7 billion. The Secretariat, one of the main bodies tasked with carrying out the decisions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, employed about 35,000 people as of late 2023 most of them in New York, but also in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. The UN 80 reform initiative launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in March aims to streamline operations at the world body amid budgetary constraints. Guterres recently warned of "painful" changes ahead, including staff reductions, and did obliquely raise the specter of a 20-percent cut in staffing. The memo seen by AFP, dated May 27, asks all department heads to prepare lists of posts to eliminate by June 13, focusing on "redundant, overlapping or non-critical functions." "I count on your cooperation for this collective effort whose aggressive timelines are recognized," Ramanathan wrote. If approved by the General Assembly, which must adopt the 2026 budget, the staff cuts would go into effect on January 1, 2026 for those posts already vacant, and later for those occupied, in accordance with UN regulations. The memo says that agencies like the UN refugee agency , the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and UN Women which are partially funded out of the UN's regular budget would receive separate instructions. The UN has for years faced a chronic liquidity crisis, because some member states do not pay their expected contributions in full, and others do not pay on time. The United States, the top contributor to the UN ordinary budget at 22 percent of the total, was $1.5 billion behind in its payments by the end of January, a UN spokesman said. And in 2024, China, the number two contributor at 20 percent, only paid its contribution in late December. Beyond the liquidity woes, some fear that funding will drop under US President Donald Trump. Several UN agencies have already been hit hard by deep cuts in US foreign aid. abd/sst/nl
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
U.N. eyes budget and job cuts for 2026 as U.S. scales back aid
The United Nations Secretariat is preparing to cut its $3.7 billion budget by 20% and slash about 6,900 jobs, according to an internal memo. The directive, which asks staff to detail cuts by June 13, comes amid a financial crisis triggered in part by the United States, which annually funds nearly a quarter of the world body. In addition to U.S. foreign aid cuts under U.S President Donald Trump that have gutted U.N. humanitarian agencies, the U.S. owes — for arrears and the current fiscal year — nearly $1.5 billion. The memo's author, U.N. Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan, did not cite the U.S. failure to pay. He noted that the cuts are part of a review launched in March dubbed "UN80." "It is an ambitious effort to ensure that the United Nations is fit for purpose to support 21st-century multilateralism, reduce human suffering and build better lives and futures for all," Ramanathan said. "I count on your cooperation for this collective effort whose aggressive timelines are recognized." The cuts would take effect Jan. 1, the start of the next budget cycle. In public briefings to U.N. diplomats this month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is considering a massive overhaul that would merge major departments and shift resources across the globe. He said the U.N. may consolidate some agencies, trim others, move staff to cheaper cities, cut duplication and eliminate redundant bureaucracy. In public briefings to U.N. diplomats this month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is considering a massive overhaul that would merge major departments and shift resources across the globe. | reuters "These are times of peril, but they are also times of profound opportunity and obligation," Guterres said on May 12. "Make no mistake: uncomfortable and difficult decisions lie ahead. It may be easier and even tempting to ignore them or kick the can down the roads. But that road is a dead end." The U.S. failure to pay its assessments has also created a liquidity crisis for the U.N., a problem exacerbated by China's repeated late payments. Together, the two nations account for more than 40% of U.N. funding. In addition, the Trump administration has withdrawn hundreds of millions of dollars in discretionary funds, forcing the abrupt halt of dozens of humanitarian programs that U.N. officials have said will cost lives. The proposed U.S. budget for the coming year, which must be approved by Congress, has eliminated or drastically reduced funding for several U.N. programs, including peacekeeping. A U.S. State Department spokesperson did not comment on the proposed U.N. cuts, but said a Trump-ordered study was due by early August. "Funding for the U.N., along with other international organizations, is currently under review,' the spokesperson said. In April, Tom Fletcher, who leads the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told employees that U.S. funding cuts would force the agency to trim 20% of its staff to address a shortfall of $58 million. Richard Gowan, U.N. director at the International Crisis Group, said it was unclear if the cuts will affect the Trump administration position. "Diplomats think that Guterres hopes that if he shows he will make these cuts, then the administration will ease off on their threats to zero out funding for the U.N.,' Gowan said. "That's possible. It's also possible that the administration will just pocket the cuts and not make any concessions.'
