UN chief proposes 18.8 pct UN staff reduction for 2026

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday proposed reducing the staffing table of the world body by 18.8 percent for 2026, a reduction of 2,681 posts to 11,594, compared with the approved staffing table for 2025.

Introducing the proposed program budget for 2026 to the Fifth Committee of the UN General Assembly, Guterres also proposed to bring the resource requirements for 2026 down to 3.238 billion U.S. dollars, a reduction of 15.1 percent compared with the 2025 appropriation.

The proposed program budget for 2026 comprised three parts: the plan outline, the program plan for 2026 and program performance information for 2024, and the resource requirements for the programs and subprograms.