Latest news with #UNReform
Arab News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan seeks UN Human Rights Council seat, pledges consensus-based engagement
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has this week formally announced its candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2026–2028 term, vowing to pursue a platform based on tolerance, universality and consensus-building. The announcement was made by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday during a reception hosted by Pakistan's Mission in New York as the country assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of July. Pakistan has previously served multiple terms on the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, which is composed of 47 member states elected for staggered three-year terms by the UN General Assembly. The next round of elections is scheduled for late 2025. 'Pakistan has also presented its candidature for election to the Human Rights Council for the term 2026–2028. Our engagement with the Human Rights Council is guided by the idea of truth, tolerance, respect, universality, consensus-building and engagement,' Dar said at the dinner. 'Pakistan's candidature is endorsed by the Asia-Pacific Group, and we hope to count on your valuable support.' The announcement coincides with Pakistan's broader push for UN reform, its active participation in Security Council deliberations this month and its ongoing diplomatic efforts to strengthen the UN system's focus on peace, development, and rights. Dar also used the reception to reaffirm Pakistan's commitment to multilateral diplomacy and UN Charter principles, especially the peaceful resolution of disputes and the non-use of force. As part of its Security Council presidency, Pakistan has prioritized three areas: the peaceful settlement of disputes, multilateralism and enhanced cooperation between the UN and regional bodies such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dar explained. 'These same guiding principles continue to shape our contributions to the Council's work, including in our presidency this month, both in deliberations and in action,' the deputy prime minister said, noting that Pakistan continues to support 'reform of the United Nations to make this organization stronger, more effective, and more responsive to the interest and priorities of the general membership.' Pakistan, he added, has 'championed strengthening of the three pillars of the United Nations — peace and security, development and human rights,' including across the General Assembly, ECOSOC, and other multilateral platforms. On Tuesday, under Pakistan's presidency, the UNSC unanimously adopted a resolution calling on member states to use peaceful means to resolve disputes. The resolution encourages states to make full use of existing mechanisms such as 'negotiation, mediation, arbitration, judicial settlement or other peaceful means,' in accordance with the UN Charter.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Revealed: The extensive perks UN officials receive amid budget crisis
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has directed staff to slash budgets ahead of the 2026 budgetary vote as part of a wider reform effort through his UN80 Initiative. Much of the belt-tightening comes at a time when the Trump administration has looked to save money with the help of DOGE. In March, Guterres warned about cuts to U.S. spending at the U.N., stating that "going through with recent funding cuts will make the world less healthy, less safe, and less prosperous." The U.S., as the top funder to the world body, has given billions over the last few years, while paying around a third of its budget. However, organizational belt-tightening does not appear to have hit senior-level U.N. staff. "The American people don't even see this," a diplomatic source told Fox News Digital. "These people that are appointed to care for the poor of the world, get better perks than any investment banks out there." Trump Does Un's Job On World Stage, Leads On Peace While Secretary-general Earns More At Anti-us Body The diplomatic insider told Fox News Digital that the current "zero-growth" budget for 2026 still includes "a lot of perks" for professional- and director-level U.N. staff along with assistant-secretaries, under-secretaries and the secretary-general. Read On The Fox News App Fox News Digital recently reported that Guterres earned $418,348, which is a higher base salary than President Donald Trump receives. And that doesn't include some of the perks the U.N. chief gets, including a plush Manhattan residence and chauffeur-driven car. Additionally, though U.N. documents say senior-level U.N. staff are "going to be the first thing to be reduced," the source says that "in the budget of 2026, none of that is touched." Here is a list of perks: U.N. professional staff, including Guterres, are paid a general salary as well as an additional multiplier of their salary based on their post. Multipliers are meant to "preserve equivalent purchasing power for all duty stations" and can range from 16% in Eswatini, Africa, to 86.8% in Switzerland, according to data provided to Fox News Digital by a U.N. source. The U.N. pay scale has been set to compare with "equivalently graded jobs in the comparator civil service in Washington, D.C.," with compensation about "10 to 20% ahead of the comparator service" to "attract and retain staff from all countries, including the comparator." Former Trump Official Slams Un Reform Efforts As 'Eight And A Half Years Late' Other expenses that may be compensated for include taxes paid and housing costs. U.N. staff's rent may be subsidized by up to 40% if it "exceeds a so-called rent threshold" based on an employee's income. Many member states exempt U.N. employees from paying taxes, but employees of the organization who must pay taxes at their duty station are reimbursed for the cost. There are substantial benefits for staff with dependents. Staff receive an allowance of 6% of their net income if their spouses earn less than an entry-level general service U.N. salary. Staff who are parents receive a flat allowance of $2,929 for children under 18, or who are under 21 and in secondary schooling. A second child allowance for staff without spouses is set at $1,025. U.N. employees may receive grants to cover a portion of the education costs for dependent children through up to four years of post-secondary education. Reimbursements are calculated on a sliding scale. In a sample calculation, the U.N. explains that it would reimburse $34,845 of a $47,000 tuition. Boarding fees may also be reimbursed up to $5,300 during primary and secondary education. U.N. staff have access to the U.N. joint staff pension fund, which allows employees to contribute 23.7% of "pensionable remuneration, with two-thirds paid by the organization and one-third by the staff member." The U.N. pays travel expenses for staff "on initial appointment, on change of duty station, on separation from service, for travel on official business, for home leave travel, and on travel to visit family members." In some instances, the U.N. also pays for eligible spouses and dependent children to travel. Travel expenses include a "daily subsistence allowance (DSA)" meant to cover "the average cost of lodging and other expenses." Eligible family members receive half the DSA, while director-level staff and above receive an additional DSA supplement. Trump Admin Stands By Israel, Rejects Un Resolution Backed By Uk And France For staff who change assignments at certain duty stations, U.N. mobility incentives begin at $6,700 and can grow to more than $15,075. If changing stations for an assignment lasting more than a year, settling-in benefits comprise 30 days' DSA for staff and half-DSA for eligible families, as well as one month of net pay and one month of post adjustment at the assignment duty station. Moving expenses may include the full or partial removal and transport of household goods, or the storage of those items. Hardship allowances of between $5,930 and $23,720 may be granted for non-local staff in certain duty stations. The U.N. issues allowances of $19,800 for staff with dependents and $7,500 for staff without dependents stationed at non-family duty stations "to recognize the increased level of financial and psychological hardship incurred by involuntary separation." Danger pay of $1,645 may also be allocated to staff whose association or employment may make them "clearly, persistently, and directly targeted," or in duty stations where there is a "high risk of becoming collateral damage in a war or active armed conflict." Terminated employees are also allowed separation payments, typically constituting several months' pay if their appointment has been terminated due to "abolition of post or reduction of staff; poor health or incapacitation for further service; unsatisfactory service; agreed termination." Those terminated for unsatisfactory service or misconduct may receive half the typical separation payment. A repatriation grant may additionally be paid to staff who have been in expatriate service for at least five years, unless staff were "summarily dismissed." In response to questions about Fox News Digital's source's statements about U.N. employee compensation being on par with that of an investment banker, Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the assertion was "ludicrous" and "demonstrates an ignorance of both the United Nations and the investment banking worlds." Dujarric did not deny that the 2026 budget proposal includes no cutting of senior personnel or benefits. "The budget proposal for 2026 was prepared before the launch of the UN80 initiative," he said. "We are currently working on identifying efficiencies, including reductions in post, and a revised proposal will be submitted to the General Assembly in the Fall for its deliberations, which usually take place between October and December." Dujarric added that the International Civil Service Commission, an independent group of 15 expert appointees which creates the system of salaries, benefits and allowances for the U.N., is "undertaking a comprehensive review of the compensation package for the international Professional and higher category of staff," with the results due for presentation in 2026. "The secretary-general has no authority of the decisions of the ICSC or the appointment of its members," he article source: Revealed: The extensive perks UN officials receive amid budget crisis
Fox News
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Revealed: The extensive perks UN officials receive amid budget crisis
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has directed staff to slash budgets ahead of the 2026 budgetary vote as part of a wider reform effort through his UN80 Initiative. Much of the belt-tightening comes at a time when the Trump administration has looked to save money with the help of DOGE. In March, Guterres warned about cuts to U.S. spending at the U.N., stating that "going through with recent funding cuts will make the world less healthy, less safe, and less prosperous." The U.S., as the top funder to the world body, has given billions over the last few years, while paying around a third of its budget. However, organizational belt-tightening does not appear to have hit senior-level U.N. staff. "The American people don't even see this," a diplomatic source told Fox News Digital. "These people that are appointed to care for the poor of the world, get better perks than any investment banks out there." The diplomatic insider told Fox News Digital that the current "zero-growth" budget for 2026 still includes "a lot of perks" for professional- and director-level U.N. staff along with assistant-secretaries, under-secretaries and the secretary-general. Fox News Digital recently reported that Guterres earned $418,348, which is a higher base salary than President Donald Trump receives. And that doesn't include some of the perks the U.N. chief gets, including a plush Manhattan residence and chauffeur-driven car. Additionally, though U.N. documents say senior-level U.N. staff are "going to be the first thing to be reduced," the source says that "in the budget of 2026, none of that is touched." Here is a list of perks: U.N. professional staff, including Guterres, are paid a general salary as well as an additional multiplier of their salary based on their post. Multipliers are meant to "preserve equivalent purchasing power for all duty stations" and can range from 16% in Eswatini, Africa, to 86.8% in Switzerland, according to data provided to Fox News Digital by a U.N. source. The U.N. pay scale has been set to compare with "equivalently graded jobs in the comparator civil service in Washington, D.C.," with compensation about "10 to 20% ahead of the comparator service" to "attract and retain staff from all countries, including the comparator." Other expenses that may be compensated for include taxes paid and housing costs. U.N. staff's rent may be subsidized by up to 40% if it "exceeds a so-called rent threshold" based on an employee's income. Many member states exempt U.N. employees from paying taxes, but employees of the organization who must pay taxes at their duty station are reimbursed for the cost. There are substantial benefits for staff with dependents. Staff receive an allowance of 6% of their net income if their spouses earn less than an entry-level general service U.N. salary. Staff who are parents receive a flat allowance of $2,929 for children under 18, or who are under 21 and in secondary schooling. A second child allowance for staff without spouses is set at $1,025. U.N. employees may receive grants to cover a portion of the education costs for dependent children through up to four years of post-secondary education. Reimbursements are calculated on a sliding scale. In a sample calculation, the U.N. explains that it would reimburse $34,845 of a $47,000 tuition. Boarding fees may also be reimbursed up to $5,300 during primary and secondary education. U.N. staff have access to the U.N. joint staff pension fund, which allows employees to contribute 23.7% of "pensionable remuneration, with two-thirds paid by the organization and one-third by the staff member." The U.N. pays travel expenses for staff "on initial appointment, on change of duty station, on separation from service, for travel on official business, for home leave travel, and on travel to visit family members." In some instances, the U.N. also pays for eligible spouses and dependent children to travel. Travel expenses include a "daily subsistence allowance (DSA)" meant to cover "the average cost of lodging and other expenses." Eligible family members receive half the DSA, while director-level staff and above receive an additional DSA supplement. For staff who change assignments at certain duty stations, U.N. mobility incentives begin at $6,700 and can grow to more than $15,075. If changing stations for an assignment lasting more than a year, settling-in benefits comprise 30 days' DSA for staff and half-DSA for eligible families, as well as one month of net pay and one month of post adjustment at the assignment duty station. Moving expenses may include the full or partial removal and transport of household goods, or the storage of those items. Hardship allowances of between $5,930 and $23,720 may be granted for non-local staff in certain duty stations. The U.N. issues allowances of $19,800 for staff with dependents and $7,500 for staff without dependents stationed at non-family duty stations "to recognize the increased level of financial and psychological hardship incurred by involuntary separation." Danger pay of $1,645 may also be allocated to staff whose association or employment may make them "clearly, persistently, and directly targeted," or in duty stations where there is a "high risk of becoming collateral damage in a war or active armed conflict." Terminated employees are also allowed separation payments, typically constituting several months' pay if their appointment has been terminated due to "abolition of post or reduction of staff; poor health or incapacitation for further service; unsatisfactory service; agreed termination." Those terminated for unsatisfactory service or misconduct may receive half the typical separation payment. A repatriation grant may additionally be paid to staff who have been in expatriate service for at least five years, unless staff were "summarily dismissed." In response to questions about Fox News Digital's source's statements about U.N. employee compensation being on par with that of an investment banker, Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the assertion was "ludicrous" and "demonstrates an ignorance of both the United Nations and the investment banking worlds." Dujarric did not deny that the 2026 budget proposal includes no cutting of senior personnel or benefits. "The budget proposal for 2026 was prepared before the launch of the UN80 initiative," he said. "We are currently working on identifying efficiencies, including reductions in post, and a revised proposal will be submitted to the General Assembly in the Fall for its deliberations, which usually take place between October and December." Dujarric added that the International Civil Service Commission, an independent group of 15 expert appointees which creates the system of salaries, benefits and allowances for the U.N., is "undertaking a comprehensive review of the compensation package for the international Professional and higher category of staff," with the results due for presentation in 2026. "The secretary-general has no authority of the decisions of the ICSC or the appointment of its members," he said.
Washington Post
30-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
UN seeks 20% cut in staff to help deal with a funding shortfall
UNITED NATIONS — 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.
Associated Press
30-05-2025
- 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.
