The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced plans to reduce its global workforce by 20% due to a $58 million budget deficit, listing Nigeria and nine other nations as areas where its presence will be scaled back.
This development follows the withdrawal of key financial support from the United States, previously OCHA’s top contributor. U.N. aid chief, Tom Fletcher, revealed the impending downsizing in a message to staff on Thursday, citing the significant impact of the U.S. funding cut.
“OCHA currently employs about 2,600 personnel across more than 60 countries, but with the current shortfall, we’re now preparing to reduce operations to around 2,100 staff and fewer field locations,” Fletcher stated, according to Reuters.
He noted that the U.S., which typically provides an annual contribution of $63 million, has historically played a central role in sustaining the organisation’s operational budget. This cut represents a major setback, particularly as humanitarian demands continue to escalate globally.
In response, OCHA will be pulling back its activities in Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Gaziantep in Turkey.
Fletcher emphasised that the restructuring is purely a result of diminished funding, not due to a decline in humanitarian needs.
“On the contrary, global crises driven by war, climate change, disease, and widespread disregard for humanitarian laws have only intensified,” he noted.
This announcement comes shortly after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres introduced a broader initiative aimed at cost-efficiency as the organisation marks its 80th anniversary amid a deepening financial crunch.
