GENEVA (AN) — Days after reporting the number of refugees under its care more than doubled in a decade to 36.8 million last year, UNHCR was forced to announce it must slash 3,500 jobs or around 30% of its global staffing costs due to the Trump administration's abrupt dropoff in U.S. foreign aid.
The U.N. refugee agency said on Monday it has completed a review of its activities, expenditure, staffing, and structures due to a "significant decline" in funding. It repeated its warning from earlier this year that "brutal" funding cuts in the humanitarian sector put millions of lives at risk – and emphasized that the review led to decisions that prioritized keeping operations running in those regions with the most urgent refugee needs.
"In light of difficult financial realities, UNHCR is compelled to reduce the overall scale of its operations. We will focus our efforts on activities that have the greatest impact for refugees, supported by streamlined headquarters and regional bureau structures," said Filippo Grandi, who heads the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Hundreds of staff who work on temporary contracts have also been laid off, the agency said, and almost half of the senior management positions at the Geneva headquarters and at regional bureaus have been eliminated due to the need to close or downsize many of its offices around the world.
Many other Geneva-based international organizations are hard hit.
In March, the International Organization for Migration said about 7,000 jobs would be cut as its budget falls to $2.89 billion, down from $4 billion. The U.S. accounted for over 40% of the U.N. migration agency's budget.
The World Health Organization more than halved its number of departments to 34, down from 76, and planned to cut staff costs by 25%. Its $4.2 billion budget for 2026-2027 is far less than the $5.3 billion it sought.
That also represented a significant downsizing from the $6.8 billion in 2024-2025, largely reflecting the loss of $1.28 billion in U.S. funding.
UNHCR also relied on the U.S. for about 40% or $2 billion of the $5.178 billion it had available last year – just half of its $10 billion appeal to meet the most pressing needs globally. As it cuts aid for families, health, education, water and sanitation this year, the agency said it aims to reduce the impacts on people in need and seek new donors.
Grandi said he anticipates this year will end with available funding at about the same level as a decade ago; budget figures show it had $3.6 billion available for 2015, and $4.4 billion available for 2016.
He pledged not to let up responding to emergencies and pursuing long-term solutions, such as helping millions of displaced Syrians return home. "Even as we face painful cuts and lose so many dedicated colleagues," Grandi said, "our commitment to refugees remains unshakeable."
