WHO Faces Major Workforce Cuts After US Financial Withdrawal
The international health agency revealed plans to reduce its workforce by nearly a fourth – amounting to more than two thousand jobs – by mid-2026.
Funding Crisis Triggers Substantial Restructuring
This decision comes following the United States, formerly the organization's biggest donor, pulled out financial support previously this year.
The US government was contributing about eighteen percent of the organization's overall funding, causing a significant budgetary shortfall.
Expected Workforce Cuts
Based on internal estimates, the workforce is expected to drop from nine thousand four hundred and one posts in early 2025 to approximately 7,030 by mid-2026.
This decrease of two thousand three hundred and seventy-one posts includes job cuts, employees retiring, and regular departures.
"This year was among the toughest in WHO's history, while we have navigated a painful but necessary process of prioritization and realignment," stated the organization's leader.
Budget Gap Remains
This Geneva-based organization now confronts a budget gap of 1.06 billion dollars for the 2026-2027 period, representing nearly a fourth of its total funding.
The amount represents an reduction from a prior projected gap of $1.7bn noted in May.
Not Included Funding
The financial projections do not include a further 1.1 billion dollars in expected funding from current negotiations with multiple contributors.
A representative for the organization stated that the current unfunded portion of the biennial budget is in fact smaller than in earlier periods, crediting this to multiple factors:
- A smaller overall budget
- Initiation of a new donor outreach campaign
- Higher in member states' mandatory contributions
This realignment process is now approaching its completion, paving the way for the agency to move forward with a reshaped operational model.
