UN Office at Geneva must save CHF14 million due to cashflow crisis

The United Nations Office at Geneva has been dealing with a severe funding shortfall. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / MARTIAL TREZZINI

The United Nations Office at Geneva must save $15.5 million (CHF13.9 million) due to an ongoing liquidity crisis. Some of the buildings at its European headquarters are to be temporarily closed.

“We are going to do everything we can, without touching our fundamental mandate,” the director of the UN Information Service, Alessandra Vellucci, told the Keystone-ATS news agency on Friday. Each department has taken a number of decisions based on the efforts requested by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The UN has been facing a cashflow crisis with delayed contributions from member countries. But funds are starting to be paid, say officials. “We have never had so many contributions in March for fifteen years. The member states are reacting. The Secretary General’s request has been heard,” said Vellucci.

But the cashflow crisis remains a problem. To preserve UN staff salaries and guarantee the institution’s mandate, several measures have already been implemented, such as the closure of the UN Palais des Nations headquarters for several weeks, which saved CHF200,000.

+ Lights out for the UN Palais des Nations

Travel restrictions and spending by staff have also been imposed. Under the new measures introduced until further notice, a number of buildings not used for meetings will be closed. Staff will be relocated to the newest building on the UN Palais des Nations site in Geneva. This should improve the UN’s climate footprint in Geneva and save money, said Vellucci.

Regular evaluation planned

“We will be making regular assessments,” said Vellucci. She added that these efforts would be maintained “for a certain period of time”, without giving any details.

+ UN Geneva’s Director-General warns of difficult year ahead

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which reports to the secretariat but has its own funding envelope, has also been affected by the UN cashflow crisis. Dozens of jobs supporting commissions of enquiry or other independent mechanisms have not been funded in recent months.

In particular, the investigation into the human rights situation in Sudan, launched last October by the UN Human Rights Council, has had problems getting off the ground because of financial difficulties. In Sudan, a conflict between rival generals has been going on for a year and atrocities have been reported on several occasions.

Russian consultations postponed

A draft resolution, which was unveiled on Friday and which is due to be discussed by the council in two weeks, foresees a delay of several months of various UN activities to cope with the current financial crisis. Related meetings have been postponed, as have reports.

Some of the effects are significant. Planned consultations with Russian civil society inside and outside the country will not take place until 2025 if the mandate of special rapporteur Mariana Katzarova is extended for another year in two weeks’ time. The death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny and the recent presidential election that re-elected Vladimir Putin have, nonetheless, been accompanied by widespread condemnation of the restrictions on freedoms in the country.

Another draft resolution, supported by Switzerland, calls on the UN General Assembly to continue to allow the current possibility of participating in UN Human Rights Council meetings online. Several countries are concerned about the “disproportionate impact” of eliminating this option for small island states and NGOs.

Adapted from French by DeepL/sb

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