Job reductions loom for United Nations agencies based in Geneva
The cantonal parliament in Geneva has approved an emergency aid of 10 million francs for NGOs, as the city grapples with a significant employment crisis caused by the withdrawal of U.S. funding and participation from several United Nations (UN) agencies.
Thousands of international civil servants and UN bureaucrats in Geneva have been laid off due to the reduction in U.S. funding and the country's disengagement from several agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Human Rights Council. This sudden influx of unemployed international workers has strained local authorities, which enforce strict immigration policies and cannot automatically extend visas or permits for displaced UN staff.
In response, Geneva has organized job-hunting clinics to support the displaced UN workforce, helping them transition to other employment opportunities either within Switzerland or internationally. Swiss authorities, particularly in Geneva and Bern, have allocated significant public funds (over 300 million Swiss francs, approx. $370 million) to non-governmental organizations and international groups to potentially absorb some of the workforce and maintain Geneva’s status as an international hub.
However, Swiss immigration and labor policies limit the length of stay for laid-off international civil servants, indicating a need for multilateral support or new agreements to retain expertise in Geneva during the transition. The UN is facing an existential crisis, according to Geneva Solutions, with a 43-percent drop in the number of people hired at the UN compared to last year, particularly for long-term, full-time assignments.
Several UN agencies and NGOs have announced job cuts, including the WHO, which is expected to lay off 40 percent of its staff in Geneva, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is eliminating 200 positions from its Geneva headquarters, and the UN AIDS programme, which is expected to shrink from 127 to 19 employees at its Geneva headquarters. The Agency for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is planning to cut 70 positions, or 20 percent of its workforce.
Geneva Solutions predicts that the job losses due to these cuts are just the tip of the iceberg. The federal government has earmarked 269 million francs to help Geneva withstand the funding crisis, and the cantonal parliament has passed a resolution to safeguard UN and NGO agencies on its territory.
Despite the challenges, the UN and its agencies continue to adapt to sharp reductions in U.S. funding and the international community adjusts to a smaller American role in multilateral institutions.
- The displaced UN workforce is embracing personal growth and education-and-self-development initiatives, germinating personal skills to enhance their job-search endeavors.
- To foster productivity and career-development, the displaced UN staff are engaging in goal-setting and skills-training workshops, enriching their competencies to accommodate for potential shifts in employment sectors.
- The influx of unemployed international workers has also ignited a surge in general-news reports and discussions on war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and accidents, as concerns over the potential social impacts on Geneva grow.
- With the escalating job-search dilemma, regional political groups are prioritizing policy-and-legislation debates on immigration and labor issues, aiming to address the predicament of the displaced UN employees.
- Car-accidents, fires, and other emergencies in Geneva have put additional strain on local authorities, who are already grappling with the migration crisis and struggling to accommodate the growing demand for public services.
- The current political climate is witnessing heated debates on the potential implications of the U.S. funding cuts on global policy-and-legislation, and the role of politics in shaping the future of multilateral institutions.
- Aside from job losses, the decrease in U.S. involvement in UN agencies has raised concerns about the long-term impact on mindfulness and humanitarian efforts, hindering the ability of these organizations to foster positive change globally.
- The UN and its agencies are exhibiting remarkable resilience amidst the funding shortages, proactively forging partnerships with NGOs to minimize the adverse effects on collective progress and the overall mission of the UN.
