ILO to Slash 200+ Jobs
It was a shock to read this Reuters story yesterday. A shock to me personally since I worked with the ILO as Chief Technical Advisor on the TVET Reform project in Bangladesh for seven years (2008-2015), and more recently on short assignments in the Middle East.
It is not clear yet what budget cuts will mean to currently funded projects overseas but job cuts at the ILO HQ in Geneva suggest fewer persons to backstop projects, provide centralized accounting support, and extend solid project monitoring and evaluation.
More than 200 jobs cut at International Labour Organization as US slashes funding
GENEVA, May 28 (Reuters) – The Geneva-based International Labour Organization (ILO) has axed about 225 jobs due to cutbacks in U.S. funding at the United Nations agency, its head said on Wednesday.
The job losses, which affect posts at the ILO’s Geneva headquarters and in the field, follow the U.S. administration’s decision to reduce voluntary contributions under President Donald Trump, ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo said.
“One job loss is too many … You would not imagine the mood that has generated within my staff,” he told reporters in Geneva.
See the whole story here:
I wish the ILO all the best as it responds to this funding emergency. The world needs this UN agency (and others too) to provide inspiration and guidance in a changing world.
