Millions of people and hundreds of staff impacted by US aid cuts, UN migration agency says

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The United Nations migration agency said Tuesday it is scaling back and suspending lifesaving projects around the world and firing staff following an “unprecedented” 30% funding cut led mainly by the United States.

“The reduction in funding has severe impacts on vulnerable migrant communities, exacerbating humanitarian crises and undermining vital support systems for displaced populations,” the International Organization for Migration, based in Geneva, said in a statement.

The roughly $1.1 billion funding cut will halt dozens of projects including food and health care for Rohingya refugees in Thailand, a program that reunited trafficking victims with their families in the U.S. and emergency aid to more than 40,000 people affected by conflict and cyclones in Mozambique, according to an IOM spokesperson.

Cholera prevention, distribution of emergency shelters and medical care in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions of people have been displaced by conflict and famine, would also be cut.

“The world is witnessing historic displacement levels, yet funding to address the root causes of displacement is shrinking,” IOM said.

The agency, led by American Amy Pope, got more than 40% of its $3.4 billion budget in 2023 from the U.S.

To minimize the impact of budget cuts on migrants and displaced persons IOM said it will restructure, relocating staff to cheaper locations and reducing its headquarters personnel by more than 20%. Over 6,000 employees worldwide will be affected.

“We recognize the necessary impact these decisions will have on colleagues who have dedicated years to IOM’s mission, many of whom will lose their jobs,” the statement said.

The IOM measures announced Tuesday are just the latest in a series of funding cuts upending the humanitarian sector and impacting some of the most fragile regions of the world after the Trump administration vowed to eliminate more than 90% of foreign aid contracts and cut some $60 billion in funding.

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