Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Food parcels provided by the World Food Program, part of the humanitarian aid shipments into Syria, are stacked at the Reyhanli border crossing with Syria, near Hatay, southern Turkey, Wednesday, May 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, Pool, File)
The United Nations flag flies on a stormy day at the U.N. during the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Food parcels provided by the World Food Program, part of the humanitarian aid shipments into Syria, are stacked at the Reyhanli border crossing with Syria, near Hatay, southern Turkey, Wednesday, May 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, Pool, File)
Food parcels provided by the World Food Program, part of the humanitarian aid shipments into Syria, are stacked at the Reyhanli border crossing with Syria, near Hatay, southern Turkey, Wednesday, May 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, Pool, File)
The United Nations flag flies on a stormy day at the U.N. during the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
The United Nations flag flies on a stormy day at the U.N. during the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The World Food Program and the United Nations refugee agency will slash jobs because of funding cuts, mainly from the United States, officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday, warning the reductions will severely affect aid programs worldwide.
The WFP, also a United Nations organization, is expected to cut up to 30% of its staff. The head of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said it would downsize its headquarters and regional offices to reduce costs by 30% and cut senior-level positions by 50%.
That's according to internal memos obtained by The AP and verified by two U.N. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal personnel decisions. Other agencies like UNICEF - the U.N. children's agency, and OCHA - the organization's humanitarian agency - have also announced or plan to announce cuts that would impact around 20% of staff and overall budgets.
One WFP official called the cuts "the most massive" seen by the agency in the past 25 years, and that as a result, operations will disappear or be downsized.
The cuts to the U.N. agencies underscore