According to an internal memo read by Reuters, the United Nations (UN) is preparing significant budget and staff cuts.
The outlet reports the UN intends to slash its $3.7 billion budget by 20% and cut nearly 7,000 jobs.
WATCH:
🚨 UN Secretariat May Cut Its Budget by 20%, Eliminate 6,900 Jobs
Result of @DOGE / the new US aid approach❓
The UN sent out a memo to UN departments recommending to slash 20% of 3.7 billion budget and cut 6,900 jobs out of 14,000 posts.
The individual UN departments should… pic.twitter.com/Q7Zf0BwjgP
— Lenka White (@white_lenka) May 30, 2025
Per Reuters:
The directive, which asks staff to detail cuts by June 13, comes amid a financial crisis triggered in part by the United States, which annually funds nearly a quarter of the world body.
In addition to U.S. foreign aid cuts under President Donald Trump that have gutted U.N. humanitarian agencies, the U.S. owes – for arrears and the current fiscal year – nearly $1.5 billion.
The memo’s author, U.N. Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan, did not cite the U.S. failure to pay. He noted that the cuts are part of a review launched in March dubbed “UN80.”
ADVERTISEMENT“It is an ambitious effort to ensure that the United Nations is fit for purpose to support 21st-century multilateralism, reduce human suffering and build better lives and futures for all,” Ramanathan said. “I count on your cooperation for this collective effort whose aggressive timelines are recognized.”
The cuts would take effect January 1, the start of the next budget cycle.
JUST IN 🔴
Reuters reports that the UN Secretariat is planning a 20% budget cut and the elimination of about 6,900 jobs due to a financial crisis, partly caused by the United States. pic.twitter.com/KGdyndbC9v
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 29, 2025
From the Associated Press:
In an executive order dated Feb. 4, Trump ordered a review within 180 days of U.S. participation in and funding for all international organizations, including the United Nations.
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.
