WHO Confronts Significant Workforce Reduction After US Financial Withdrawal

The international health agency revealed plans to cut its staff by nearly a quarter – amounting to over 2,000 jobs – by the middle of 2026.

Funding Crisis Prompts Major Restructuring

This move follows following the US, previously the agency's biggest donor, pulled out funding earlier this year.

The US government had been responsible for about 18% of the agency's overall budget, creating a significant budgetary gap.

Projected Workforce Cuts

Based on internal projections, the staff will decrease from 9,401 posts in early 2025 to around seven thousand and thirty by mid-2026.

This decrease of 2,371 positions includes job cuts, employees retiring, and regular departures.

"The past year has been one of the toughest in our history, as we undertook a challenging but essential journey of prioritisation and restructuring," stated the organization's director-general.

Financial Shortfall Remains

This Switzerland-headquartered body now confronts a funding gap of $1.06bn for the 2026-2027 period, representing almost a fourth of its required funding.

The figure marks an reduction from a prior estimated gap of 1.7 billion dollars reported in spring.

Excluded Funding

The financial projections do not include an additional $1.1bn in potential contributions from ongoing negotiations with multiple donors.

A representative for the agency stated that the present unsecured part of the budget is actually smaller than in previous years, attributing this to multiple reasons:

• Reduced total budget size
• The launch of a fresh fundraising campaign
• An increase in member states' mandatory contributions

The realignment process is now nearing its completion, paving the way for the organization to progress with a renewed structure.