WHO to Cut Jobs as US Halts Funding

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Tuesday that it will reduce its staff and scale back operations due to a major funding shortfall. 

This move comes after the United States stopped paying its agreed contributions for 2024 and 2025, and plans to completely withdraw support next January.

 The US, which has long been the largest contributor to the UN health agency, has also frozen most of its global foreign aid.

The lack of US support, combined with cuts from other countries that usually provide development aid, has put WHO in a tight financial spot.

 According to WHO’s Director-General, the agency now faces a funding gap between $560 million and $650 million for the 2026–27 period, which affects about a quarter of its current staff costs.

To deal with the budget crunch, WHO will begin restructuring. One of the first steps is to reduce the number of senior leaders at its headquarters in Geneva from 12 to 7.

Additionally, the number of departments will be cut from 76 to 34.

While the exact number of job losses has not been shared, the changes are expected to affect many workers, especially those based at the headquarters.

These changes mark a major shift in how WHO operates and come at a time when global health efforts remain crucial, especially as the world continues to face COVID-19 infections.

WHO leadership described the decisions as difficult but necessary under the current financial pressure.