UNICEF Projects 20% Drop in 2026 Funding After US Cuts 

A view shows the logo on the exterior of UNICEF's humanitarian warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark, November 15, 2023. (Reuters) 
A view shows the logo on the exterior of UNICEF's humanitarian warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark, November 15, 2023. (Reuters) 
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UNICEF Projects 20% Drop in 2026 Funding After US Cuts 

A view shows the logo on the exterior of UNICEF's humanitarian warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark, November 15, 2023. (Reuters) 
A view shows the logo on the exterior of UNICEF's humanitarian warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark, November 15, 2023. (Reuters) 

UNICEF has projected that its 2026 budget will shrink by at least 20% compared to 2024, a spokesperson for the UN children's agency said on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump slashed global humanitarian aid.

In 2024, UNICEF had a budget of $8.9 billion and this year it has an estimated budget of $8.5 billion. The funding for 2025 is "evolving," the UNICEF spokesperson said.

"The last few weeks have made clear that humanitarian and development organizations around the world, including many UN organizations, are in the midst of a global funding crisis. UNICEF has not been spared," said the spokesperson.

UNICEF did not specifically name the US, but Washington has long been the agency's largest donor, contributing more than $800 million in 2024. Since UNICEF was established in 1946, all its executive directors have been American.

"At the moment, we are working off preliminary projections that our financial resources will be, at a minimum, 20% less, organization wide, in 2026 compared to 2024," said the UNICEF spokesperson.

Since returning to office in January for a second term, Trump's administration has cut billions of dollars in foreign assistance in a review that aimed to ensure programs align with his "America First" foreign policy.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last week that it will cut 20% of its staff as it faces a shortfall of $58 million, after its largest donor, the United States, cut funding.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also last month said he is seeking ways to improve efficiency and cut costs as the world body turns 80 this year amid a cash crisis.

UNICEF has implemented some efficiency measures but "more cost-cutting steps will be required," said the spokesperson.

"We are looking at every aspect of our operation, including staffing, with the goal of focusing on what truly matters for children: that children survive and thrive," the spokesperson said. "But no final decisions have been taken."



Trump Says He Is Less Confident about Iran Nuclear Deal 

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)
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Trump Says He Is Less Confident about Iran Nuclear Deal 

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)

US President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday. 

"I don’t know," Trump told the "Pod Force One" podcast on Monday when asked if he thought he could get Iran to agree to shut down its nuclear program. "I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more — less confident about it." 

Trump has been seeking a new nuclear deal to place limits on Iran's nuclear activities and has threatened Tehran with bombing if no agreement is reached. 

He told reporters at the White House on Monday that he had discussed Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and said talks with Iranians were "tough." 

In the podcast interview, Trump said Iranians seem to be using delaying tactics. 

"I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made," he said. 

Trump repeated that the US would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, whether or not a deal is reached. 

"But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it’s so much nicer to do it. But I don’t think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal," he said. 

Iran says it has no plans to build a nuclear weapon and is only interested in power generation and other peaceful projects. 

During his first White House term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed limits on Tehran's disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.