The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that Libya will be among ten countries facing a reduction in the agency’s presence and operations, as part of a global plan to cut 20% of its workforce due to a $58 million budget shortfall.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, explained that the downsizing—impacting around 500 staff members worldwide—comes in the wake of a significant drop in funding from the United States, OCHA’s largest donor.
In addition to Libya, the reductions will affect Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Gaziantep (Turkey), and Zimbabwe. OCHA’s overall workforce is set to decrease from approximately 2,600 to 2,100 employees.
Griffiths stressed that “these decisions are driven by funding cuts, not by a decrease in humanitarian needs,” highlighting that global needs are in fact rising due to conflicts, climate change, and health crises.
OCHA, which coordinates international humanitarian responses, relies heavily on voluntary contributions, with US funding previously accounting for around 20% of its total budget.
