International body undergoes significant restructuring due to financial shortages, as revealed in an internal document
Uniting the United Nations: A Massive Reorganization
The United Nations is pondering a major transformation that could see significant department mergers and resources shifted worldwide, according to an internal document compiled by senior officials duty-bound to reform the global body.
This widespread review unfolds amidst UN agencies struggling to adapt to the aftermath of U.S. foreign aid cutbacks under President Donald Trump, which decimated humanitarian organizations.
The six-page report, marked as strictly confidential and reviewed by Reuters, proposes numerous "suggestions" for consolidating numerous UN agencies into four primary departments: peace and security, humanitarian affairs, sustainable development, and human rights.
Under one scenario, for example, the World Food Programme, UN children's agency, WHO, and the UN refugee agency's operational aspects might merge into a single humanitarian entity.
The report encompasses a variety of ideas, some huge, some small, some speculative, which, if all adopted, would herald the most substantial reforms in decades. It proposes merging the UN AIDS agency into the WHO and reducing the requirement for up to six translators at meetings. Another suggestion includes merging the World Trade Organization - not a UN entity - with UN development agencies.
One official familiar with the report called it a starting point. Yet, the internal self-assessment's language seems to corroborate what both supporters and critics of the global body have long claimed: that the UN calls for streamlining. In a series of observations, the report highlights overlapping mandates, inefficient resource use, fragmentation, and duplication and notes a swelling of senior roles.
It outlines "systemic obstacles" the UN faces, issues intensified as the General Assembly continues to expand missions and programs. "augmented mandates, often without clear exit strategies, and complexities have led to significant overlaps, inefficiencies, and cost increases," the document mentions.
The report was conceived by a task force appointed in March by Secretary General António Guterres, who asserted that the body required enhanced cost-effectiveness. The task force, focusing on long-term structural changes, is in addition to shorter-term cost-cutting measures. Some diplomats describe the endeavor as a proactive step to safeguard deeper U.S. cuts.
"The report is the culmination of an exercise to generate concepts and thoughts from senior officials on how to realize the Secretary General's vision," said Guterres' spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.
Guterres has long called for UN reform. During a gathering with Trump in 2017, the Secretary General relayed to the U.S. President that the world body was beset with "fragmented structures, byzantine procedures, endless red tape." However, it now faces one of its most significant financial crises in its 80-year history. At the beginning of the year, the United States, the UN's largest donor, was already approximately $1.5 billion in arrears for mandatory payments for the regular budget and $1.2 billion in arrears for peacekeeping.
Since Trump assumed office in January, he has slashed billions more in foreign assistance as part of his "America First" foreign policy.
Cuts and geopolitical shifts
The report does not name any country specifically, but notes starkly that "geopolitical shifts and substantial reductions in foreign aid budget are challenging the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Organization."
Among the repercussions: the UN humanitarian office, which confronts a $58 million shortfall, has axed 20% of its staff. UNICEF anticipates a 20% budget decrease, and the UN migration agency foresees a 30% budget drop, affecting around 6,000 jobs.
The cuts are "wreaking immediate, devastating consequences," said Bob Rae, the Canadian ambassador and head of the UN's Economic and Social Council, on Monday. "What's happening is deplorable - we're trimming rations in refugee camps."
The report also recommends relocating some UN staff from pricier cities to less expensive locales and integrating operations in Rome. Another shorter internal memo sent to senior UN officials last week and examined by Reuters instructed them to compile a list of jobs that could be executed outside New York or Geneva by May 16.
"We must adopt bold and immediate measures to enhance the way we function, boosting efficiency while reducing costs," said the second memo. Protests against job losses erupted in Geneva on May 1 among hundreds of UN staff. Staff tasked with supporting the UN General Assembly and Security Council in New York would remain, the first memo stated.
- The proposed reorganization of the United Nations could lead to significant overlaps in the responsibilities of various departments, such as merging the UN AIDS agency into the WHO.
- Personal-growth and education-and-self-development programs may be affected if UN agencies are consolidated into four primary departments, as suggested in the report, since specific agencies like the UN children's agency might be merged.
- The report indicates that the UN faces systemic obstacles, including inefficient resource use, duplication, and complexities, which could hinder career-development opportunities for employees within the organizations.
- The proposed consolidation of numerous UN agencies into four primary departments, like peace and security, humanitarian affairs, sustainable development, and human rights, could impact general-news reporting, making it challenging to cover each department's individual activities and achievements.
- The adoption of all the suggested reforms in the report could result in the reduction of up to six translators at meetings, leading to difficulties in communication in multilingual settings.
- The early termination of 20% of the UN humanitarian office's staff is causing immediate, devastating consequences, particularly regarding cutbacks in refugee camps.
- In response to the UN's financial crisis and job cuts, UN staff are being encouraged to compile a list of jobs that could be executed outside pricier cities like New York or Geneva by May 16, as stated in an internal memo.
- The consolidation of UN agencies might necessitate skills-training programs for employees to adapt to new procedures and duties within their departments.
- The potential merger of the World Trade Organization with UN development agencies, as suggested in the report, may lead to changes in trade policies and legislation, potentially impacting job-search strategies for businesses and individuals alike.
- The report's recommendations, if implemented, could result in relocating some UN staff from high-cost cities to less expensive locations, affecting the personal lives and lifestyles of employees, as well as possibly leading to accidents, fires, and other incidents during the relocation process.
