The United Nations human rights office in Geneva is scrambling to manage a deepening financial crisis after major U.S. funding cuts—but insists everything is under control.
Staff were summoned to a town hall this week by rights chief Volker Turk, who dismissed “unfounded rumours” of panic, mass layoffs, or relocation from costly Geneva to cheaper hubs like Nairobi or Vienna. Still, he admitted the agency was facing “a very complex time.”
Swiss daily Le Temps described “a wind of panic” sweeping through the office, while reports of impending restructuring have only intensified.
The budget turmoil follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office and his sharp reversal of American contributions to UN bodies. Washington’s “no money for nonsense” approach has left ideologically driven agencies—like the Geneva-based rights office—scrambling.
For now, the agency is putting on a brave face. But beneath the surface, the funding reality is biting.
