‘Not a commodity’: UN staff rally over deep cuts

GENEVA: Hundreds of UN staff rallied in Geneva on Thursday over deep funding cuts, especially from key donor the United States, which have led to mass-layoffs and threatened life-saving services around the world.

The demonstration, called by UN staff unions and associations, brought together workers from a wide range of Geneva-based agencies, along with their families and supporters under a blazing sun.

Carrying signs reading “UN staff are not a commodity”, “We stand for humanity”, “Stop firing UN staff now” and “Protect the protectors”, protesters poured into the square in front of the United Nations European headquarters.

“We´re supposed to stand for workers´ rights, so this is really tough,” Lena, a staff member at the International Labour Organisation, told AFP, refusing to give her last name.

“You just feel helpless,” she said, standing next to her daughter sound asleep in a baby carriage with a sign reading “We stand for better jobs in the world” propped on top.

Humanitarian organisations worldwide have been reeling since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, pushing an anti-refugee and anti-migrant agenda and immediately freezing most US foreign aid funding.

The United States has traditionally been by far the top donor to a number of agencies, which have been left scrambling to fill sudden and gaping budget gaps.