The World Health Organization has cut its leadership team by 50% and will need to reduce its activities, the director-general has said, following the United States’ decision to withdraw from the agency and stop funding it four months ago, reports RTE.
“To be blunt, we cannot do everything,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a budget committee ahead of the WHO’s annual assembly next week, reports RTE.
President Donald Trump announced the US exit from the organization on his first day back in office in January.
As per US legislation, the country must give a year’s notice before leaving and is also obligated to pay all outstanding dues. That funding is still pending, reports RTE.
Dr Tedros explained that the WHO and its member nations now face hard decisions on where to focus their efforts, especially with a proposed 21% reduction in the 2026–2027 budget, bringing it to $4.2 billion.
Even with that smaller budget, only about 60% of the funding is expected to be covered, and that’s assuming member states agree to increase their required contributions at next week’s meeting, he noted, reports RTE.
The WHO has introduced cost-saving efforts and aims to save approximately $165 million within the year.
It will also streamline its structure, reducing departments from 76 to 34, and intends to lower staffing expenses by 25%, Dr Tedros added, though this won’t equate to cutting 25% of positions, reports RTE.
“But let’s be clear: reducing the scale of our workforce means reducing the scale and scope of our work,” he said, noting the organisation plans to shut down some offices in wealthier countries, reports RTE.
Dr Tedros mentioned that WHO has been speaking with other international health bodies to explore more effective cooperation in light of the budget pressures.
The agency’s leadership has now been downsized to seven members, including Dr Tedros, from the previous 14, reports RTE.
Part of the restructuring involves reassigning Dr Jeremy Farrar, who will now serve as assistant director-general focusing on health promotion and the prevention and control of diseases.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu is set to take over as executive director of the health emergencies programme, while Dr Sylvie Briand will become the new chief scientist, reports RTE.
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