The United Nations is preparing for a significant reduction in its regular budget for 2026—approximately 15%, or around US$500 million—in response to mounting fiscal pressures, many of which are tied to changes in U.S. funding under President Donald Trump’s administration. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has proposed the budget will drop to $3.238 billion, down from the 2025 level of roughly $3.7 billion.
The cuts are expected to result in the elimination of 2,681 jobs within the UN system and a 19% reduction in the workforce covered by the regular budget. While the core pillars of the UN—peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development—will all face constraints, programs targeting the least developed countries are slated to be spared from the deepest cuts.
In addition to personnel downsizing, the proposal includes relocating at least 200 staff members from high-cost duty stations such as Geneva and New York to more affordable locations like Nairobi. Guterres frames the measures as part of his UN80 initiative, which aims to make the UN leaner, more agile, and better able to respond to growing global challenges.
However, the proposed budget cut is likely to draw criticism from member states and UN staff. Many argue that with multiple overlapping crises—refugee flows, climate disasters, armed conflicts—now demanding more resources, trimming the budget could weaken the UN’s capacity to respond. The revised budget will be voted on in the UN General Assembly before the end of the year.
