The United Nations Development Programme will relocate nearly 400 staff from its New York headquarters to Europe after the United States cut funding. The UNDP said nearly 400 staff, “a significant proportion of the jobs currently at its headquarters,” would be affected by the move, with about 300 moving to Bonn, Germany, and about 100 to Madrid, Spain.
“The relocation is part of an ongoing effort to adapt to the changing financial and development environment, strengthen partnerships and maximize UNDP’s ability to support the world’s most vulnerable people,” the organisation said.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in a separate statement that the relocation, which will be implemented over two years, shows confidence in German diplomacy as “the UN system and multilateral principles are under pressure.” The UN already has 27 institutions and about 1,200 staff in Bonn, the German government said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump cut US foreign development aid by more than 80 percent last year as part of a government overhaul led by billionaire Elon Musk.