UN's humanitarian agency to lay off 20% of staff
What's the story
The United Nations's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced drastic cuts in its staff due to an extreme funding crisis.
The agency will be firing 20% of its employees and decreasing its presence in nine countries, including Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.
The decision was conveyed by OCHA head Tom Fletcher in a letter to the organization's employees.
Funding crisis
OCHA faces $60 million funding shortfall
Fletcher's letter emphasized on the "brutal cuts" OCHA is facing, owing to a nearly $60 million funding gap this year.
This financial crisis comes even as demand for the agency's services is increasing amid a worsening global humanitarian crisis.
In response, OCHA will consolidate operations in fewer places, affecting about 500 of its total workforce of around 2,600 across over 60 countries.
Operational shift
OCHA adopts 'lighter, faster' approach
Against the backdrop of the funding crisis, Fletcher highlighted OCHA's move to a "lighter, faster" approach with a focus on key priorities, including crisis response, sector reform, and humanitarian leadership.
This shift is in line with the UN's broader "Humanitarian Reset," a 10-point plan adopted in February by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).
It also corresponds with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's UN80 reform initiative.
Impact on aid
Aid groups express concern over OCHA's cuts
Aid groups have been concerned over the decision to reduce operations and let go of employees.
A spokesperson for Baghdad-based rights organization Al Amal Association warned that OCHA's cuts could "seriously affect humanitarian efforts in Iraq, especially those focused on women's rights."
She also warned that without OCHA's support, they may have to lay off their own staff too.