World Health Organization Faces Significant Staff Cuts After US Funding Withdrawal
The international public health organization disclosed plans to cut its workforce by nearly a fourth – totaling over two thousand jobs – by the middle of 2026.
Financial Crisis Triggers Substantial Reorganization
The decision follows after the United States, previously the organization's biggest donor, pulled out funding earlier this period.
The US government was responsible for approximately 18% of the agency's total funding, creating a significant budgetary shortfall.
Projected Staff Cuts
Based on organizational estimates, the staff will decrease from nine thousand four hundred and one positions in early 2025 to around seven thousand and thirty by mid-2026.
This decrease of two thousand three hundred and seventy-one positions comprises job cuts, retirements, and natural attrition.
"The past year has been one of the most difficult in WHO's history, as we undertook a challenging but essential journey of prioritization and realignment," stated the organization's director-general.
Budget Gap Persists
This Geneva-based organization now confronts a funding shortfall of $1.06bn for the 2026-2027 biennium, amounting to almost a fourth of its required budget.
This amount marks an improvement from a prior projected gap of $1.7bn noted in May.
Not Included Funding
The budget calculations do not include a further 1.1 billion dollars in potential funding from ongoing discussions with multiple donors.
The representative for the organization stated that the present unfunded part of the biennial budget is in fact lower than in earlier years, crediting this to multiple factors:
- A smaller total budget
- Initiation of a fresh donor outreach campaign
- An increase in member states' mandatory contributions
This realignment process is now approaching its completion, paving the way for the organization to progress with a renewed structure.
