The UN plans to lay off thousands of staff amid US funding cuts

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced large-scale changes in the organization – budget cuts of more than $700 million and the dismissal of about 3,000 employees. This was reported by Bloomberg.

UN Reform Planned as the Organization's Largest Sponsor, the United States, Withdraws Support.

Guterres' plan calls for a 20% cut in spending and employment, which would make the budget, currently at $3.7 billion, the lowest since 2018. In addition, about 3000 jobs will be cut.

Officially, the reform program is tied to the 80th anniversary of the UN, not the new US administration. But the scale of the cuts reflects a threat to U.S. support, which traditionally accounts for 22% of the organization's budget.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended funding and already withdrawn from several UN bodies, and a broader review is expected to lead to further cuts.

The UN announced its intention to make radical structural changes due to financial difficulties in January 2025. Then Guterres warned that the organization was facing a "full-blown liquidity crisis.".

Guterres is expected to release details of his reform plans in September. The plan calls for restructuring many of the organization's programs.

Guterres oversees the UN's regular budget, which is only a fraction of the total spending of its affiliated organizations. Faced with funding shortfalls, agencies such as UNICEF and UNESCO are also planning significant cuts.

• On February 21, 2025, Republican lawmakers launched an attempt to withdraw the United States from the UN.
• On March 5, Trump announced a freeze on all international aid and the US withdrawal from the UN and WHO councils.