With United Nations bodies laying off staff following United States funding cuts, it’s fair to ask if the multilateral system – where countries work together towards common goals – is still functioning.
Many UN agencies – including the World Heath Organization, World Food Programme, UNHCR and UNICEF are cutting more than 20% of staff. UNAids has let go 85% of its head office staff.
The scale of the budget crisis has prompted headlines about the UN’s decline, with some arguing multilateralism is dead. As one commentator puts it, “multilateralism is shown to be dead or dying. The key institutions […] are no longer functioning or are in sleep mode”.
