In recent developments out of Barcelona, Spain, the United Nations migration agency has announced the reduction and suspension of essential projects worldwide due to a substantial, “unprecedented” 30% funding cut, majorly attributed to the United States.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), based in Geneva, the funding reduction significantly impacts vulnerable migrant communities and worsens ongoing humanitarian challenges, disrupting critical support systems for displaced groups.
The approximately $1.1 billion funding deficit is set to halt several projects, including the provision of food and healthcare for Rohingya refugees in Thailand. It will also impact a program focused on reuniting trafficking victims with their families in the U.S. Furthermore, emergency aid initiatives benefiting over 40,000 individuals affected by conflicts and cyclones in Mozambique will also be affected, as stated by an IOM representative.
The cuts will extend to cholera prevention efforts, emergency shelter distribution, and medical care in regions like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict and famine have displaced millions.
“The world is facing unprecedented displacement levels,” IOM remarked, “yet resources to address these root causes are diminishing.”
The agency, under the leadership of American Amy Pope, received over 40% of its $3.4 billion budget in the recent year from the U.S. To mitigate the adverse effects of these budget cuts on migrants and displaced populations, IOM plans to undergo restructuring. This will involve relocating staff to more cost-effective locations and reducing its headquarters workforce by over 20%. Globally, more than 6,000 employees will feel the impact of these changes.
“We acknowledge the challenging consequences these decisions will impose on our colleagues who have devoted years to IOM’s mission, many of whom will face job losses,” the organization stated in their announcement.
The recent measures by IOM represent the latest in a series of funding reductions disrupting the humanitarian sector, adversely affecting some of the world’s most vulnerable regions. This follows previous commitments by the former U.S. administration to slash over 90% of foreign aid contracts and cut approximately $60 billion in funding.
