The United Nations’ humanitarian body announced on Friday that it plans to reduce its staff of over 2,000 by 20%, citing “a wave of brutal cuts” in response to a significant funding shortfall.
In a letter to staff, Tom Fletcher, head of the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), explained that the organisation would reduce bureaucracy and reporting layers, becoming “less top-heavy” and substantially cutting senior positions. Despite these reductions, Fletcher assured that the agency would maintain “dynamic and full responses” where it operates.
The letter, sent on Thursday and posted on the office’s website on Friday, highlighted a funding gap of nearly $60 million. Since February, OCHA has already implemented austerity measures to save $3.7 million internally, but these savings are not enough to address the shortfall.
The cuts will also result in a reduced presence and operations in several countries, including Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.
The broader humanitarian situation has worsened since the Trump administration significantly reduced funding for humanitarian programmes, slashing 83% of the budget for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID’s annual budget of $42.8 billion accounted for 42% of total global humanitarian aid.
“The context we face is the toughest it has ever been for our mission as OCHA, and for the system we coordinate,” Fletcher wrote. “The humanitarian community was already underfunded, overstretched, and literally under attack. Now, we face a wave of brutal cuts.”
OCHA, which plays a key advocacy role within the UN, delivers reports from the front lines of conflicts and amplifies the voices of those affected by crises. It has been actively involved in providing humanitarian assistance in ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and other regions.
In a related development, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which employed nearly 20,000 staff at the end of September, indicated in March that it expects a “significant reduction” in its workforce due to the lack of American funding.
