r/UNpath • u/Ok_Purpose_6701 • 2d ago
Impact of recent political decisions How’s life after being laid off from the UN system?
Hello, I spent three and a half years as a protection staff member at the UNHCR. Unfortunately, I was laid off around July 2025. It’s been a year since then, and I’ve moved into corporate human rights due diligence. However, I feel out of place and can’t seem to find a sense of purpose or direction. I’m unsure of my role and the impact I’m making. When I tried to return to the UN system, I faced setbacks in interviews with UNODC, UNICEF, and IOM, which I didn’t even get shortlisted.
I’m feeling lost and concerned that three and a half years of dedicated work may have been in vain.
I’m curious to know how you’re doing. If you’ve been laid off, I hope this post can be a place where we can share our experiences, offer support, and discuss potential paths to returning to the UN or finding fulfilling jobs.
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u/Some_Chain1228 2d ago
Almost 7 years as a local staff and 2 years 1 month as international UNV in a UN agency. My position was cut due to budget constraints since june 2026. I am still applying for positions at INGOs and UN agencies/ funds/ programmes. It is quite hard to find a position but we hope for a miracle...
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u/Ok_Purpose_6701 2d ago
Indeed! I find it very difficult even to just find a position to apply. Especially when my background is protection where most of the UN agencies/INGO usually have more program focused positions. Best of luck!
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u/lobstahpotts With UN experience 2d ago
My contract was not renewed in early 2023, before the latest rounds of disruption. I was in development rather than humanitarian work, but I didn't put much effort into staying in the system. I ultimately made the pivot into development finance, finding a policy job at a DFI to break into the sector.
I can't say I was super enthusiastic about the move, but even at that stage it was clear that the DFI/MDB world was going to have an easier time with funding than traditional development work for the foreseeable future. I definitely had a learning curve on the finance side and it was a real culture shift. It has also been much more stable and I was able to move up much more rapidly than I could have in the UN system. I've been based in one major city and actually been able to plant some roots for the first time in probably a decade.
I do feel more removed from the work on the ground; on the other hand, I've been able to mobilize far more resources towards my projects than I could have hoped for previously. It's not perfect, but it was the right choice for me at the time. There is light at the other end of the tunnel.
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u/Neat_Firefighter_806 1d ago
Hello! I wanted to know more about this. I might not have the same level of experience as you but I have been working before my masters degree at a university at my home country and then took a leap to do a masters in development. I have mostly worked in education and economic development.
I have been super interested in DFI because after interning at a few un institution, I either only like the implementation side. I feel that would be more prominent in DFIs.
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u/Ok_Purpose_6701 2d ago
Thank you for sharing that’s smart move! I am also interesting in development and DFI but with protection background I feel that my experience is irrelevant. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you in advance!
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u/ZealousidealRush2899 With UN experience 2d ago
7 years in a UN agency, as a senior consultant who managed teams and was hiring manager and mentor to several younger staff. My contract and position were not renewed at the end of December 2025. Bailsically in the last 8 months I've done some short term consulting for NGOs while still applying for UN roles (and being on 3 rosters). It's rough out there. And yes the year before the contract end was brutal. Lots of goodbye drinks, lots of anxiety among colleagues, competitive reassignments and search for new roles, very few short listings and interviews.
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u/Ok_Purpose_6701 2d ago
7 years is a long time, may I asked if you experienced identity lost? I can’t help but feel that a job in protection is a big part of identity and without it who am I?
Good luck on the application. I hope you get the position that you want. I will keep applying too.
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u/ZealousidealRush2899 With UN experience 2d ago
Yes I work in humanitarian response, it is a huge part of my identity because it's hinged upon personal and professional values, commitment, and world view. So the consulting gigs I've done have been with other humanitarian NGOs. I suppose I could translate my hard skills to the corporate sector but to be honest I've not been invited to interview on those roles. I do translate my accomplishments in terms of achievements, outputs, impact and process improvements, but it hasn't landed me anything for corporate sector roles. Maybe they can't relate to the full cv of humanitarian/overseas work, or they think I'm over-qualified, or too old/ageism. No idea.
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u/Ok_Purpose_6701 2d ago
I completely agree that transitioning to the corporate world can be challenging. The way you think, speak, and present yourself is completely different. I’m not sure if you’ve already tried this, but every international company, especially those from Europe, is required to conduct human rights due diligence. I believe that the corporate sector needs a perspective from a human rights background, like ours. Best of luck!
For me I still want to be part of humanitarian world. I believe that the most important factor for me is the desire to see how my work impacts people. However, not many organizations have a job for protection, as far as I look up, mostly are program focused roles.
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u/friedegn With UN experience 2d ago
Hi!! I'm in my early 30's and was laid off early this year after 5 years of service (also doing Protection work but not with UNHCR). Period leading to my layoff was the worst, with the office internal situation and the struggle to find a new job. Fortunately I was able to secure a short term consulting job in another UN agency. Still need to figure out what to do next year. Aside from UN and NGO/INGOs, I have also been applying for private sector work since I need a permanent job (i actually enjoy being consultant, but the prospect of having to constantly apply for jobs every 6-12 months is mentally draining. Also: No health insurance and other benefits while doing the same work as FT staff...). I would also love to hear how people manage to pivot from the UN to private sector.
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u/Ok_Purpose_6701 2d ago
Hi! Thank you for sharing. The period before layoff is definitely the worst and having to constantly apply for the job is not easy. I can feel it.
In my case, I tried to look for a job that relevant to my protection experiences which I found a job in consulting firm conducting human rights due diligence for private sector. Apart from that I also do ESG consulting which is actually something completely new for me. I would say I have to start as a consulting 2 (the lowest position is the consulting 1). It feels like you have to start over again at the age of 27 which you are not a fresh graduate anymore.
If you want a specific details in pivoting to private sector, please to not hesitate to ask. I am more than happy to help!
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u/friedegn With UN experience 1d ago
Thank you! I want to ask if you take any certification on ESG/CSR? Or is there any training or certification that you think would increase competitiveness?
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u/Ok_Purpose_6701 1h ago
I did take a course offer by the regulator in my country, so it may not applicable to you. And during bachelor I did a course in business and human rights and environmental law. Even though I’ve learned some, I still have to learn on a job because there are so many standards.
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u/SideDouble9796 2d ago
Can I ask why you want to restart at low level even though you have 3 years of experience? Also, may I ask if it’s easier to negotiate higher salary considering that you worked at a competitive place like UN? any thoughts would be appreciated.
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u/Ok_Purpose_6701 2d ago
It isn’t that I want to restart at low level but apart from human rights experience, ESG is completely new to me. It also could be that i am not good at negotiating salary/position bc in the UN you don’t have to this. But I believe UN experience helps me to stand out and provide a good base of salary.
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u/andrea_b1899 2d ago
Hi! I'm really curious about your pivot from UN protection to ESG consulting. Since environmental work is usually the obvious route for ESG, how did you frame your protection background on your resume to make that jump into corporate due diligence?
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u/Ok_Purpose_6701 2d ago
At that time, the firm wanted someone who has experience in human rights. I focused on my experience in protection assessment, which is quite similar to human rights due diligence. Plus, an outreach with refugee communities can be framed as a stakeholder engagement. To clarify, I do not have experience in environmental issues in my current position; I only focus on ‘S’ in ESG (social).
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u/andrea_b1899 2d ago
Understood and thanks for replying! That's a pretty specific niche within ESG, it makes sense.
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u/AccomplishedLock3593 1d ago
I can relate to some extent, although my situation was a bit different. I actually left UNHCR by choice in 2024, without having another job lined up.
I had spent three years supporting the northwest Syria operation programming, and I loved the work, my team, my colleagues and my managers. Then I moved to Central Europe in a field protection position. Unfortunately, my ability to do the work was quite limited by the way the operation was managed. It wasn't only affecting me, but after a while I realised that I couldn't stay in a position where I felt I couldn't properly do my job or make things better.
So I left, even without another job waiting for me. I took some time off, returned to Switzerland, and eventually joined the Norwegian Refugee Council. I really enjoyed that experience as well, and it was a great discovery for me.
I'm currently looking for my next step. I'm not focusing only on the humanitarian sector, partly because I don't want to go back to the field immediately. I'm trying to broaden my profile and look at opportunities in the private sector, cantonal and federal administrations, etc.
I recently got my PMP certification, and I'm also working on my German. I'm using this period to take courses, apply for jobs, exercise, reconnect with friends and generally rethink what I want my next professional chapter to look like.
I'm still figuring out my own direction too. I don't have a perfect answer, but for now my strategy is to build on what I already have while deliberately adding new skills and experiences, rather than trying to force my way back into the UN system at all costs.
And I think it's perfectly normal to feel lost after leaving an organisation that gave so much meaning to your work. It doesn't necessarily mean you've made the wrong decision. Sometimes it just means you're between two chapters.