By Olivia Le Poidevin and Crispian Balmer
GENEVA (Reuters) -The United Nations children’s agency will move jobs out of Geneva, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Wednesday, the latest planned cuts to hit the global body in the Swiss city.
Earlier, Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve reported that about 300 jobs could be relocated away from UNICEF’s regional office for Europe and Central Asia in Geneva, with Rome named as a potential location.
An Italian government source said the jobs were being moved to Rome, but did not provide details on the number of roles.
The Swiss foreign ministry said UNICEF will relocate some positions away from Switzerland’s biggest French-speaking city without detailing how many jobs would be relocated or where.
It said around 100 UNICEF positions in Geneva would remain.
UNICEF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment about how many jobs are currently based in Geneva and whether any jobs are being cut or just moved.
UN agencies face major cuts and a structural overhaul following a substantial reduction in foreign aid spending by the United States and major European donors.
The remaining Geneva-based roles at the UN children’s agency would be in the Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS), which the Swiss foreign ministry described as the “core of UNICEF’s global humanitarian response.”
“The continued presence confirms that Geneva remains a strategic pillar of international humanitarian coordination,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
On Tuesday the World Health Organization said its workforce would shrink by nearly a quarter – or over 2,000 jobs – by the middle of next year as it seeks to implement reforms after its top donor, the United States, announced its departure.
The International Labour Organization is currently considering abolishing up to 295 posts and relocating dozens of staff to cities like Turin as it faces “critical” cash flow problems if its biggest donor, the U.S., and other countries do not pay their dues, according to an internal document.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva and Crispian Balmer in Rome; Editing by David Gregorio)
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