The cuts to the UN agencies underscore the impact of President Donald Trump's decision to pull the US back from its position as the world’s single largest aid donor.
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The World Food Programme (WFP) and other United Nations agencies will have to slash jobs because of funding cuts, mainly from the United States, officials have said, warning the reductions will severely affect aid programmes worldwide.
That's according to internal memos obtained by the Associated Press and verified by two UN officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel decisions.
Other bodies like UNICEF, the UN children's agency, and OCHA, the humanitarian agency, have also announced or plan to announce cuts that would impact around 20% of staff and overall budgets.
The cuts to the UN agencies underscore the impact of President Donald Trump's decision to pull the US back from its position as the world’s single largest aid donor.
Trump gave billionaire tech ally Elon Musk and his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) power to rework the scale of the federal government, with a focus on slashing foreign assistance.
Even before the administration's move, many donor nations had reduced humanitarian spending and UN agencies struggled to reach funding goals.
World Food Programme
The WFP, the world's largest humanitarian organisation, received 46% of its funding from the United States in 2024 and is expected to cut up to 30% of its staff.
One WFP official called the cuts "the most massive" seen by the agency in 25 years and that as a result, operations will disappear or be downsized.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Secretary General Antonio Guterres was "deeply troubled by the drastic funding reduction."
Asked about the planned cuts, the organisation said in a statement that "in this challenging donor environment, WFP will prioritise its limited resources on vital programmes that bring urgently needed food assistance to the 343 million people struggling with hunger and increasingly facing starvation."
The internal memo said personnel cuts will "impact all geographies, divisions and levels" in the agency.
It suggested further downsizing may be needed and said the agency will review its "portfolio of programmes."
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
The UN's refugee agency provides help to some 43.7 million refugees worldwide, along with others among the 122 million people driven from their homes by conflicts and natural disasters.
The head of the agency said it would downsize its headquarters and regional offices to reduce costs by 30% and cut senior-level positions by 50%.
In a statement, the agency said it will "have to significantly reduce our workforce," including downsizing the headquarters and regional offices.
UNHCR said some country offices will be closed, but it did not give an immediate figure of how many staff will be cut.
"The impact of this funding crunch on refugees' lives is already devastating and will get far worse," the agency said. Programmes providing food, clean water, medicines, emergency shelter and other services "will reduce or stop."
For example, it said, reduced funding will cut access to clean water for at least half a million displaced people in Sudan, increasing the risk of cholera and other disease outbreaks.
The cuts "will affect our operations, the size of our organisation, and, most worryingly, the very people we are called to protect," it said.
"It is critical that we prioritise, as we always have, the well-being and safety of refugees and of displaced and stateless people."
UNHCR's office in Lebanon, which is home to some one million refugees from Syria, is only 15% funded, its spokesperson Lisa Abou Khaled said.
This month, it had to stop cash assistance to 347,000 refugees and funding for the remaining 200,000 will last only through June, she said.
It also halted primary health services for some 40,000 refugees.
UNICEF
The UN children's agency told AP in a statement that it projects that its funding will be at least 20% less in 2025 compared to 2024.
"Hard-earned gains and future progress for children are at risk because of a global funding crisis in which some donors are sharply decreasing their financial support to UNICEF and our partners, as well as their contributions to international aid more broadly," a UNICEF spokesperson said.
The organisation said that while it has already implemented efficiency measures, "more cost-cutting steps will be required."
Officials are looking at "every aspect" of their sprawling operations in over 190 countries and territories, which focus on delivering life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian aid and advocating for policies that promote children's rights.
International Organisation for Migration
The UN agency said last month that it had been hit by a 30% decrease in funding for the year, mainly because of US cuts.
It said it was ending programs that affect 6,000 personnel and reducing its staff at headquarters by 20%.