Financing problems have already affected WHO programs around the world, including those to combat diseases such as daladism and tuberculosiswho kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) member countries approved the budget for the 2026-2027 biennium, 21 percent below expected due to financial difficulties caused mainly by the departure of the agency’s main taxpayer, the United States.
WHO was initially foreseen a budget of $ 5.3 billion (4.7 billion euros) for the next two years, but was forced to reduce it by 21%, to $ 4.2 billion (3.7 billion euros), due to the loss of contributions.
The value is also lower than the base budget for the 2024-2025 biennium, which was over $ 4.9 billion (4.3 billion euros), to which other emergencies and special programs were added, increasing a total of $ 6.8 billion (6 billion euros), of which the US contributed more than 10 percentaccording to WHO data.
Along with the new budget, WHO members approved an increase of 20 percent in the mandatory contributions of each Member State, usually proportional to their size and development, in order to reduce the dependence on the so-called “voluntary contributions” and thus improve the predictability of their accounts.
Already in 2022, member states approved a gradual increase in mandatory contributions, with the objective of ensuring that in the 2030-2031 cycle, half of the budget is covered by these state appropriations.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed on Monday during the opening of the Assembly that WHO financial difficulties will force the agency to halve the number of its departments.
Financing problems have already affected WHO programs around the world, including those to combat diseases such as daladism and tuberculosiswho kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.
The executive of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, He also refused to pay the quotas agreed for 2024 and 2025freezing virtually all US foreign aid, including considerable support for health projects worldwide.
The United States cut 83% of US Development Agency programsUSAID, which was responsible for 42% of the humanitarian aid disbursed worldwide.
Several other countries have also reduced their development aid expenses.
On April 10, WHO warned for disturbances in health services in 70% of national delegations inquired, “Result of sudden suspensions and reductions in public aid to development for health.”
WHO made known in this communication that the evaluations made “They raise the concern of potentially deeper and more prolonged effects on health systems and services worldwide, especially in vulnerable and fragile contexts” “ and appeal to a “URGENT ACTION”as well as a “International Response”.
In this balance held between March and April this year that involved 108 WHO representations in various countries, especially in low and mid-low-lowering countries, It demonstrates that countries are relocating financing from internal and external sources.
Given this situation, WHO began to reflect on its new organization, which its director general presented at the end of April to staff and member states.
Ghebreyesus did not say how many jobs would be cut, But he stated that the biggest impact would be expected at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva.
The headquarters management team should go from 12 to 7 members and the number of departments from 76 to 34then said the director of the UN agency.
