WHO Confronts Major Staff Cuts After United States Funding Withdrawal
The global health organization revealed plans to cut its staff by almost a fourth – amounting to more than two thousand positions – by the middle of 2026.
Financial Shortfall Prompts Major Reorganization
The decision follows after the US, formerly the agency's largest donor, pulled out funding previously this year.
The US government was contributing about 18% of the agency's overall funding, causing a substantial financial shortfall.
Expected Staff Cuts
According to internal estimates, the staff will decrease from nine thousand four hundred and one positions in early 2025 to around seven thousand and thirty by June 2026.
The decrease of 2,371 posts comprises staff reductions, employees retiring, and natural attrition.
"The past year was one of the most difficult in WHO's history, as we undertook a challenging but essential journey of prioritisation and restructuring," commented the organization's director-general.
Budget Shortfall Persists
This Switzerland-headquartered body now faces a funding shortfall of 1.06 billion dollars for the upcoming biennium, amounting to almost a fourth of its total funding.
This figure represents an improvement from a previous estimated shortfall of 1.7 billion dollars reported in spring.
Excluded Funding
These financial calculations do not include a further $1.1bn in potential contributions from ongoing negotiations with various contributors.
The representative for the organization stated that the current unsecured part of the budget is actually smaller than in earlier years, attributing this to multiple reasons:
- A smaller total budget size
- The launch of a new donor outreach campaign
- An increase in participating countries' mandatory contributions
This realignment process is currently nearing its end, allowing the organization to move forward with a reshaped operational model.
