UN human rights office in ‘survival mode’ with USD 90 million budget shortfall, 300 job cuts

The UN human rights chief said Wednesday that his office is facing a USD 90 million funding shortfall this year and staff cuts would include about 300 posts, or about 15 per cent, over the course of the year.

Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, says the Geneva-based office was in “survival mode” at a time when major donors, including Britain, Finland, France and the United States, have lowered their contributions.

“Our resources have been slashed along with funding for human rights organisations, including at the grassroots level around the world,” Turk told reporters on Human Rights Day. “We are in survival mode.”

“My office has had about USD 90 million less than we needed this year, which means around 300 jobs have been lost and essential work has had to be cut,” in countries like Colombia, Conga, Myanmar and Tunisia, he said, “at a time when the needs are rising”.

The rights office had an approved budget from member states of USD 246 million this year, but received USD 67 million less than that, spokeswoman Marta Hurtado Gomez said in an email.

Additionally, the office had appealed for extra-budgetary, or voluntary, funding for USD 500 million, but has received half that. It is expected to have spent USD 273 million by year’s end, which means a deficit of another USD 23 million.

Many UN organisations, including the World Health Organisation, the UN refugee agency and the International Organisation for Migration, have slashed jobs and spending this year because some top donors have not paid their UN dues in full or cut back foreign aid.

Those other organisations have annual budgets in the billions, and far larger staffs than the rights office.

“We are all affected,” Turk said, adding that his office has been “disproportionately affected... in the sense that if you cut what is already very scarce, and if you cut this even further, then obviously it has a huge impact”.

After beginning the year with about 2,000 employees, the rights office has already cut 230 posts this year and is expected to cut between 70 and 80 more by year-end.