Job reductions loom for United Nations organizations based in Geneva
In recent times, Geneva, a city known for being a hub of international organizations, has been grappling with significant job losses and funding crises. This situation can be traced back to the executive actions of Donald Trump, who became president in January 2025.
Trump's withdrawal from UN agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and cuts to funding for NGOs like the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN AIDS programme, have had a profound impact on the city. The WHO is expected to lay off 40 percent of its staff in Geneva, while the IOM is eliminating 200 positions, and the UN AIDS programme will see its staff at the agency's Geneva headquarters shrink from 127 to 19 employees.
The US's symbolic withdrawal from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council in early 2025 resulted in American diplomats disengaging from key negotiations, weakening US influence but not fully eliminating US involvement behind the scenes. The cuts to foreign aid on sectors including human rights and humanitarian assistance have forced NGOs and civil society organizations in Geneva and globally to lay off staff and suspend programs, affecting jobs not only within these NGOs but also in ancillary roles supporting international cooperation and humanitarian efforts in Geneva.
The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) announced 155 job cuts, adding to the growing number of job losses in the city. Geneva Solutions, a media outlet dedicated to the city's international sector, predicts that the job losses due to these cuts are just the tip of the iceberg.
The cantonal parliament approved an emergency aid of 10 million francs for NGOs, and the federal government earmarked 269 million francs to help Geneva withstand the funding crisis. However, these measures may not be enough to counteract the effects of the job losses and funding shortfalls.
In an effort to mitigate the impact, some organizations have reassigned employees to the field. For instance, 92 employees from the International Labor Organization (ILO) were reassigned to the field.
The UN is facing an existential crisis, according to Geneva Solutions, with humanitarian agencies already laying off thousands of staff and programmes in some of the most fragile settings in the world being slashed. There has been a 43-percent drop in the number of people hired at the UN compared to last year, particularly for long-term, full-time assignments. The Agency for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is planning to cut 70 positions, which equates to 20 percent of its workforce.
This trend risks long-term erosion of Geneva’s standing as a major hub for international organizations and humanitarian actors. The city's parliament passed a resolution to safeguard UN and NGO agencies on its territory, but the challenges ahead are substantial.
- The financial repercussions of Donald Trump's executive actions, such as the withdrawal from UN agencies and cuts to funding for NGOs, have not only led to significant job losses in Geneva's business sector but also created a financial crisis for these international organizations.
- The cuts to foreign aid have affected not only the staff of NGOs and civil society organizations in Geneva and globally but also those in ancillary roles supporting international cooperation and humanitarian efforts, prompting both job losses and general-news headlines about the situation.
