'UN cuts 6,900 jobs, organisation in financial crisis'

This is evident from an internal memo that has been leaked and viewed by the Reuters news agency.

The administration is taking steps to cut the UN's global budget by 20 percent, which would amount to $744 million (about €656 million) based on the current annual budget of $3.72 billion.

The focus of the cuts is the elimination of some 6,900 jobs. UN chief Antonio Guterres told diplomats earlier this month that a major reorganization is inevitable. Guterres spoke of "uncomfortable and difficult decisions."

Some departments will be merged, and many others will have to downsize. The Portuguese Secretary-General also suggested that some staff could be relocated to cheaper cities. Departments must come up with savings plans by June 13.

According to Reuters, the global diplomatic and political organization is now in a financial crisis. A major cause of this is the cessation of funding from the United States, which normally accounts for about a quarter of the budget and has been the largest donor since the organization was founded in 1945.

But the Americans are making major cuts to humanitarian organizations under current President Trump. In addition, almost 1.5 billion dollars in promised donations have not been transferred to the UN. It is questionable whether that will ever happen.

In the proposed US government budget for next year, which still has to be approved by Congress, funding for several UN programs will be cut or significantly reduced.

The budget proposal speaks of "wasteful UN peacekeeping missions" and of UN peacekeepers "accused of drug trafficking on several continents, notably in the Central African Republic, where peacekeepers smuggled gold, diamonds and drugs."

The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously also had to make major cuts due to the complete cessation of funding from the US. The country will withdraw from the WHO completely on 22 January 2026 because it is said to have mishandled the corona pandemic.

Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour broke down during his speech to the UN Security Council in New York the day before yesterday: