The World Health Organization chief acknowledged on Tuesday that US funding cuts had left the UN agency with a huge budget gap, forcing it to slash operations and lay off staff.
“The sudden drop in income has left us with a large salary gap and no choice but to reduce the scale of our work and workforce,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told member states, according to a transcript of his opening remarks.
The United Nations health agency has been bracing for the planned full withdrawal of the United States – traditionally its largest donor by far – next January.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has meanwhile also refused to pay agreed membership fees – called assessed contributions – for 2024 and 2025, even as it has frozen virtually all US foreign aid, including vast assistance to health projects worldwide.
A number of other countries have also been reducing their foreign aid spending.
Faced with this situation, the WHO has been reflecting on a new organisational structure, which Tedros presented to staff and member states on Tuesday.
