Guterres voted out of office by UN General Assembly
Guterres voted out of office by UN General Assembly
2025-07-24 10:56
Shafaq News – Geneva
Members of the UN Headquarters Staff Union in Geneva voted on Thursday to withdraw confidence from Secretary-General António Guterres over the institutional reform plan known as “UN-80,” which calls for a 20% reduction in the workforce by 2026.
According to a statement issued by the union, the resolution states that “employees express their lack of confidence in the UN-80 initiative, Secretary-General António Guterres, and Deputy Secretary-General Guy Ryder.” The resolution emphasized that the text was adopted at an extraordinary general meeting of the union, attended by approximately 600 members, with the required quorum of 200 people.
According to the union, the basis for the vote of no confidence was the lack of “vision on the part of the organization’s leadership regarding the reforms that were being prepared amidst a state of panic.”
The union criticized management’s refusal to consult with employee representatives regarding layoffs, as well as the lack of evidence that a 20% reduction in staff numbers “will help overcome the current crisis.”
The union also noted that the cuts will primarily affect regular employees, while deputy secretaries-general will not be affected.
On March 12, Guterres officially announced the launch of the “UN80” initiative (the name refers to the organization’s 80th anniversary this year), which aims to improve the organization’s efficiency and introduce structural changes to its work.
On May 2, his official representative, Stéphane Dujarric, unveiled plans for far-reaching reforms of the world body. According to him, the work will be carried out in three areas: improving resources, reviewing outdated mandates, and structural changes within the UN system.
According to Reuters, the UN Secretary-General’s working group proposes merging the operational structures of the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) into a single humanitarian agency, and relocating some staff from Geneva and New York to regional offices in less expensive cities.
According to the Associated Press, more than 60 UN offices and agencies have been asked to submit proposals by mid-June to cut 20% of their staff as part of the UN-80 reform.
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