The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is relocating about 300 positions and central functions from New York to Bonn within two years. An additional 100 roles will move to Madrid. The decision is seen as a key signal for German foreign policy.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced the relocation of parts of its headquarters from New York to Bonn. Over the next two years, 300 employees and central functions will move to the city on the Rhine, as stated in a joint declaration by the German federal government, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the city of Bonn. About 100 additional positions will go to Madrid, according to the UNDP. The main headquarters will remain in New York, which also hosts offices for world regions like Europe. The UNDP's Germany office is already based in Bonn with an outpost in Berlin.
UNDP head Alexander De Croo informed the German government in advance of the decision. Just a week earlier, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) had advocated for moving UN organizations to Bonn following a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York. Wadephul welcomed the step: "This strengthens the UN site in Bonn. And it is an important political signal for trust in German foreign policy – especially at a time when the UN system and multilateral principles are under pressure."
He emphasized the need for international cooperation on global challenges like wars, hunger, and environmental destruction: "Germany remains a champion and promoter of international cooperation – because it is also important for our country's security, freedom, and prosperity."
North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) called the decision a milestone: "UNDP's choice of Bonn is a choice for Europe, excellence, and multilateralism." Mayor Guido Déus highlighted Bonn's role as a cosmopolitan city: "Over the past three decades, Bonn has made a name for itself internationally as Germany's city of the United Nations."
Bonn is already one of Europe's largest UN sites alongside Geneva and Vienna, with 27 facilities and about 1,200 employees. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Volunteers (UNV), and the Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have their global headquarters here. Most recently, a UN Women office opened in Bonn in November 2025.
The UNDP operates in around 170 countries and territories with about 22,000 employees, more than 19,000 of whom work in country offices and regional centers.
