Chilling effect

It was a high of 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8 degrees Celsius) in Geneva on Tuesday with the winds making it feel like 10 below zero. But don’t expect too much relief from the cold in the typically cozy confines of the U.N. Refugee Agency’s headquarters.

In response to the U.S. foreign aid freeze, the UNHCR has turned down the building thermometer, shut off the hot water in its bathrooms, and pressed ahead with an ongoing transition to LED lighting, according to an internal memo titled “Subject:Update on Cost-Saving Measures at HQ.”

The measures may seem pretty insignificant, given the cataclysmic impact the Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze is having on tens of thousands of aid and development workers who are losing their jobs and the millions of aid recipients who are losing access to lifesaving medicines and services.

But it shed light on the myriad ways international aid providers are looking for ways to trim costs, Devex Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch tells me. Among the other measures: “We are reducing the frequency of cleaning and services and have stopped all work on the building,” it states. Even parking privileges were on the chopping block, as staffers were warned that the agency is “consolidating parking space availability for colleagues.”

“We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you and thank you for your understanding and cooperation,” the memo stated.

A spokesperson for UNHCR declined to comment on the memo, telling Colum: “As a general principle we do not comment on internal documents. But I can confirm that UNHCR has taken a series of precautionary measures to reduce non-essential expenditures and minimize the impact of the millions of refugees and forcibly displaced people we assist around the world.”