On 11 April, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced plans to reduce its presence and operations in Libya and nine other countries, including Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Gaziantep (Turkey) and Zimbabwe. This decision is part of an effort to cut 20 percent of its global workforce due to a USD 58 million budget shortfall. As a result, OCHA’s total staff will be reduced from approximately 2,600 to 2,100 worldwide. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths attributed the cuts to a significant drop in funding from the United States, OCHA’s largest donor, which typically provides 20% of its budget. Despite the funding cuts, Griffiths emphasized that the move does not reflect a decline in humanitarian needs; on the contrary, global needs are increasing due to conflicts, climate change and health crises.
