United Nations – The intermittent threats of the Donald Trump government against the United Nations and the withdrawal of the United States of several organisms from the world body, aggravated by financial cuts, leave most of their employees with a growing apprehension and uncertainty about their future and mental health.
Will the UN liquidity crisis cause a reduction of personnel or a round of salary cuts? Will promotions and salary increases freeze? Will non -American personnel of the permanent residence be deprived in the United States and will be forced to return, along with their families, their countries of origin when they retire?
An example is the case of the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Humanitarian Agency, faces important budget cuts due to a financing deficit, mainly derived from the reduction of US funds. This has resulted in plans to reduce staff by 20 % and reduce the presence in several countries, according to the office itself.
In addition to the Ocha, the budget cuts have also affected the World Food Program (PMA), the United Nations Childhood Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR), which are closing offices, reducing staff or ending programs due to the strong decrease in US financing.
In a memorandum aimed at staff, the United Nations (UNSU) union in New York recognizes “the great concern and the possible uncertainty caused by the current financial situation of the organization.”
«We believe that it is essential to give priority to mental health and well -being in these times of uncertainty. Therefore, the union is preparing a series of mental health sessions to offer practical advice and techniques to manage what the future can hold, ”says a UNSU memorandum.
“They are sure that your union remains firm in defense of their rights to fair and equitable treatment and is willing to face together the challenges that are coming,” says Narda Cuidore, president of the UNSU in communication.
Meanwhile, the Personnel Management Committee (SMC, in English), which met in Vienna from April 7 to 12, addressed critical issues that affect the well -being and service conditions of the personnel.
The agenda was dominated by three themes: i) the UN80 initiative; ii) the financial crisis; and iii) the personnel reduction policy. These issues, deeply interrelated, and their combined impact on the staff were the center of attention for several days of deliberations.
The UN secretary General, António Guterres, has requested “the working group and the work groups of the UN80 initiative that prepare proposals to quickly identify the efficiencies and improvements in our way of working; i) examine the application of the mandates received from the Member States; and iii) carry out a programmatic reorientation within the United Nations system, rationalizing resources at the same time ».
The UN 80 initiative, launched on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the creation of the UN, instituted on October 24, 1945, which seeks to update its structures, priorities operations for the remainder of the 21st century, to modernize it, make it more efficient and be able to better face the challenges of the century.
Purnima Mane, former Deputy Deputy Director General of the United Nations at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), told IPS that Washington’s threats to cut the financing and withdraw from many United Nations agencies are a reason for special concern not only for member states, but also for the United Nations personnel.
The situation affects his mental health and his ability to give his best in a job that is already difficult, said the former president and executive director of Pathfinder International.
«With multiple global seizures throughout the world, it is evident that the UN is an institution that is expected a lot at this time. But financial cuts seriously threaten the UN capacity to fulfill their mission and the ability of their staff to carry out their work, ”said Mane.
Therefore, it is reassuring, he said, that the UN agencies that deal with the welfare of the staff are focusing on the mental health of officials working in the current environment of extreme uncertainty.
He is also encouraging, he said, to observe that the United Nations personnel union is preparing a series of mental health sessions so that the staff has access to practical advice to manage what the future can hold.
The Personnel XIII Management Committee, which met in early April in Vienna, also focused on critical issues that affect the well -being and service conditions of the personnel and, as expected, the financial crisis that threatens the United Nations and the policy of personnel reduction were two of the main issues on which the committee focused.
“Uncertainty, of course, further complicates things, since the US administration has announced cuts in institutions in which the United States is the only taxpayer or one of the main ones, and then has reversed in some cases,” said Mane.
“If the United States does not consider that the UN is a solid investment and maintain its position on cuts and withdrawals, paralysis in terms of action will be serious and will have a high cost for the mental health of the staff and, consequently, for its ability to perform tasks that are already formidable,” he said.
PMA, UNICEF and ACNUR are some of the UN agencies that are cutting jobs, closing offices, ending programs and adopting other expenses reduction measures due to the strong decrease in US financing.
In 2024, the United Nations Ministry used more than 35,000 officials in 467 places of destination worldwide. This includes personnel of more than 190 nationalities, which are part of the broad family of the United Nations, with more than 100 organs and organizations, including about 30 organizations, funds and programs.
The liquidity crisis has been aggravated by the default or the delay in the payment of the quotas by the Member States. The last day of April, only 101 of the 193 Member States had fully paid their fees.
You can read here the English version of this article.
On the budget cuts of the United Nations agencies, the UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told journalists on April 28 that there are different types of cuts.
«The most violent we have seen really affect our humanitarian and development partners, because the cuts are immediate. They are financed by voluntary contributions. Money is assigned to specific programs, so it is not available. The work is not being done, ”he explained.
Therefore, he explained, “I think the secretary general has said that, at this time, we face a liquidity crisis. We are managing it. Obviously, we are doing everything possible, and he has always tried to be the most responsible administrator of the money that has been entrusted to us ».
Dujarric said the strategy also consists in ensuring that Member States include the rapid and real impact of these cuts.
Currently, the eldest is the United States, which, as the main taxpayer, pays 22 % of the UN ordinary budget and 27 % of the budget for the maintenance of peace.
The United States owes 1500 million dollars to the UN ordinary budget. And, among the ordinary budget, the budget for the maintenance of peace and international courts, the total amount that the United States owes to the considerable figure of 2800 million dollars.
The 10 main taxpayers to the UN ordinary budget, according to the assigned fees, are the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Brazil and Russia.
The ordinary budget for 2025 is 3720 million dollars, about 120 million more than the 3600 million figure revealed by the Secretary General António Guterres in October 2024, and 130 million more than the organization’s budget for 2024.
The total budget allocation for 2025 amounts to 3 717 379 600 dollars. After the United States, China is the second largest taxpayer, with a quota of 18.7 % of the ordinary budget.
In his call to personnel, the personnel union affirms that the UNO80 initiative of the Secretary General “can mean substantial changes for our organization and have a significant impact on our service conditions.”
“Although the total scope of these changes is still unknown, we recognize the stress and anxiety that they can cause, especially in a context of constant media coverage of similar challenges that occur throughout the common system,” he adds.
To this end, the UN80 initiative has created a suggestion mailbox to send support and ideas.
“Since we believe that the most effective solutions can come from those who participate directly in the daily work of the organization and that the deadline is May 1, 2025, we encourage them to share their innovative and creative proposals not only with the UNO80 initiative, but also with its union,” says the UNSU memorandum.
Sending their suggestions to [email protected], says the document, “we can register the dynamic contributions of officials and emphasize the fundamental importance of an inclusive decision -making process throughout the Secretariat, within the three pillars of efficiency and improvement, the execution of the mandate and the reorientation of the programs.”
T: MF / ED: EG
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