By Brasen Tham (Y11)
Geneva has long been recognized as the hub city of diplomacy, human rights and international cooperation. But in 2025, tensions between the United States and the United Nations are sending ripple effects across international Geneva.
What’s Going On: U.S. budget cuts, UN constraints, and Global shift
In recent months, The United States has made serious budget cuts to its foreign aid, including major funding for UN agencies. According to a UN spokesperson, The US contributes 22% of the UN’s regular budget and had fallen behind on payments, reaching an amount of $1.5 billion by the end of January1.
UN officials in Geneva describe a growing sense of uncertainty as organisations are pressured into reviewing their operational budgets and project priorities. Numerous key programs in health, refugee assistance, and climate action have reported delays in funding approvals.
What this means for Geneva and Globally
Geneva hosts dozens of UN bodies, NGO’s and agencies creating jobs, contracts, and economic activities in the city. Some organisations have already considered moving their offices outside of Switzerland due to the budget cuts. The potential loss of agencies and contracts in Geneva, would weaken its position as a city of diplomacy.
In addition, the funding cuts would lead to a reduced humanitarian capacity, scaling back aid projects in conflict zones and disaster affected areas2. As the US diminish their engagement in multilateral organisations, other nations like China are increasing their influence in international affairs replacing USAID3.
Geneva is a global crossroads – affected by tensions between the U.S. and the U.N which is raising challenges. However, Geneva still has resources, history, and people who care. Whether the city retains its global role will depend on how much local, national, and international actors commit to solve these difficulties.
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Sources:
- https://www.rts.ch/info/monde/2025/article/l-onu-envisage-de-supprimer-20-des-postes-face-aux-defis-budgetaires-28899333.html ↩︎
- https://apnews.com/article/un-peacekeeping-force-lebanon-israel-trump-f11b5b48425de7a7c5c91978319b9623 ↩︎
- https://www.businessinsider.com/china-replace-usaid-shutdown-humanitarian-aid-funding-development-assistance-2025-3 ↩︎