UN Secretary-General António Guterres has proposed eliminating 60 posts at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan as part of a broader effort to reduce costs in the organization’s proposed 2027 budget.
The proposed reduction at UNAMA comes as Guterres seeks a $3.302 billion UN program budget for 2027, about $40.8 million, or 1.2%, below the approved 2026 budget. Including major construction projects in Nairobi and Geneva, proposed spending would total $3.408 billion.
Guterres presented the budget proposal to the UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, which deals with administrative and budgetary matters, on Wednesday. The proposed UNAMA reductions are part of wider changes affecting the U.N.’s special political missions.
Under the proposal, 60 posts would be eliminated at UNAMA, while 44 would be cut at the UN Integrated Office in Haiti. Across the relevant budget areas, 116 posts would be eliminated, partly offset by the establishment of 84 new posts and the conversion of 25 others, resulting in a net reduction of seven posts.
The proposed cuts would mark another reduction in UNAMA staffing. In the UN’s proposed budget for 2026, 895 posts and positions were proposed for the Afghanistan mission, a net reduction of 241 compared with 2025.
The latest proposal comes as the United Nations faces continuing financial pressure and pursues reforms intended to reduce costs and restructure some of its operations.
Presenting the overall budget, Guterres said the United Nations had already absorbed thousands of staffing reductions but cautioned that cost-cutting alone could not resolve the organization’s financial difficulties.
“The need for the United Nations has never been greater,” Guterres said as he presented the proposal, citing conflicts, climate disruption, hunger and other global challenges.
More funding proposed for Afghanistan investigations
While proposing fewer posts at UNAMA, Guterres is seeking an additional $3.2 million for the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Afghanistan, creating a notable contrast in the UN’s proposed Afghanistan-related spending.
The additional money would be used to expand the mechanism following the initial phase of its establishment in 2026, including additional staff and other resources needed for its operations.
The investigative mechanism is intended to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyze evidence of serious violations of international law and international crimes committed in Afghanistan and to prepare material that could support future criminal proceedings.
Guterres said the additional resources were needed to build up the mechanism’s work following its establishment.
The funding increase for the mechanism comes as international scrutiny of Afghanistan’s human rights situation continues, particularly over restrictions imposed by Taliban authorities on women and girls.
Cuts are not yet final
The proposed UNAMA staffing reduction has not yet been approved.
The $3.302 billion spending plan is a proposal before the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, where member states consider the UN’s administrative and budgetary requirements. The budget can be revised during that process before being submitted to the General Assembly for approval.
UNAMA, established in 2002, is a special political mission whose work includes political engagement, human rights monitoring and reporting, and coordination with international and Afghan stakeholders.
The Security Council extended UNAMA’s mandate in June for another year, through June 17, 2027.
The proposed staffing cuts therefore concern the resources available to the mission rather than a termination or reduction of its Security Council mandate.
Guterres’ overall 2027 proposal would maintain 11,150 UN posts and reduce spending by 1.2% compared with the budget approved for this year. The proposal forms part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at directing resources toward mandated activities while reducing costs.
The General Assembly’s budget process is continuing, meaning the final number of posts and funding levels for UNAMA could change before the 2027 budget is adopted.
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