The shock withdrawal of US funding – its main donor – will see the World Health Organisation slashing its staff numbers by nearly a quarter, or more than 2 000 jobs, by the middle of next year, reports The Guardian.
Washington has been by far the UN health agency’s biggest financial backer, contributing about 18% of its overall funding.
The Geneva-based WHO projects that its workforce will shrink by 2 371 posts by June 2026 – from 9 401 in January 2025 – due to job cuts as well as retirements and departures, according to a presentation to be shown to its member states.
It does not include the many temporary staff, or consultants, who have been made redundant.
A WHO spokesperson confirmed the total number of staff leaving the organisation would shrink the workforce by up to 22%, depending on how many vacant posts are filled.
“This year has been one of the most difficult in WHO’s history, as we have navigated a painful but necessary process of prioritisation and realignment that has resulted in a significant reduction in our global workforce,” said director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a message to staff on Tuesday, adding that the process was now nearing an end.
The agency has a $1.06bn hole in its 2026-2027 budget, or nearly a quarter of the total required, down from an estimated gap of $1.7bn in May. That excludes $1.1bn of expected funding that includes deals at various stages of negotiation, without details being revealed.
A WHO spokesperson said the portion of the two-year budget currently unfunded was lower than in previous years, attributing that to a smaller budget; the launch of a fundraising round; and an increase in member states’ mandatory fees.
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