WHO Faces Major Staff Cuts After US Financial Withdrawal
This global public health organization revealed plans to reduce its workforce by almost a fourth – totaling over 2,000 positions – by mid-2026.
Funding Crisis Prompts Substantial Reorganization
This move follows after the United States, formerly the agency's biggest donor, pulled out funding earlier this period.
The US government had been responsible for about 18% of the organization's overall budget, causing a substantial budgetary shortfall.
Expected Workforce Cuts
According to internal estimates, the staff is expected to drop from nine thousand four hundred and one posts in early 2025 to around seven thousand and thirty by June 2026.
The reduction of two thousand three hundred and seventy-one positions includes staff reductions, employees retiring, and natural attrition.
"This year has been one of the toughest in WHO's existence, as we have navigated a painful but essential process of prioritization and realignment," stated the agency's director-general.
Financial Shortfall Remains
This Geneva-based organization now faces a budget gap of 1.06 billion dollars for the upcoming period, amounting to nearly a fourth of its total funding.
The figure marks an improvement from a previous estimated shortfall of $1.7bn noted in spring.
Excluded Finances
The financial calculations do not include a further 1.1 billion dollars in expected funding from current negotiations with multiple donors.
A spokesperson for the organization noted that the current unsecured part of the budget is in fact smaller than in earlier years, crediting this to several factors:
- Reduced total budget size
- Initiation of a new donor outreach campaign
- An increase in participating countries' required contributions
This realignment initiative is now nearing its completion, paving the way for the agency to move forward with a renewed operational model.
