The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced plans to slash its budget by 20% following the United States’ decision to withdraw funding, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed in an internal email seen by AFP on Saturday.
With a projected income gap of nearly $600 million in 2025, Tedros stated that the UN health agency has “no choice” but to reduce its workforce and global reach. The budget cuts come in response to a series of funding freezes initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, who not only triggered the country’s exit from the WHO after returning to office in January but also halted nearly all foreign aid, including substantial contributions to global health programs.
As the WHO’s largest donor, the U.S. withdrawal has had significant consequences. Tedros noted that these drastic reductions in official development assistance—by both the U.S. and other nations increasing their defense spending—are causing major disruptions across international organizations, NGOs, and developing countries reliant on aid.
He further explained that the WHO had already been implementing cost-cutting measures for over nine months before the U.S. withdrawal but admitted that the current economic and geopolitical climate has worsened resource mobilization efforts.
“While we have achieved substantial cost savings, the prevailing economic and geopolitical conditions have made resource mobilization particularly difficult,” Tedros said.
The WHO now faces difficult decisions as it attempts to restructure its operations in response to the funding crisis.
