WHO Faces Major Workforce Cuts Following US Financial Pullout
The international health agency revealed plans to cut its workforce by almost a fourth – amounting to more than 2,000 positions – before mid-2026.
Funding Crisis Prompts Substantial Reorganization
The move comes after the United States, formerly the organization's biggest contributor, pulled out funding earlier this year.
Washington was contributing approximately eighteen percent of the organization's total budget, causing a substantial financial shortfall.
Expected Workforce Cuts
Based on internal estimates, the staff will decrease from 9,401 positions in January 2025 to around 7,030 by mid-2026.
The decrease of 2,371 positions comprises job cuts, retirements, and natural attrition.
"The past year was one of the toughest in our history, as we undertook a challenging but essential journey of prioritization and restructuring," commented the organization's director-general.
Budget Shortfall Persists
This Switzerland-headquartered organization now faces a funding shortfall of 1.06 billion dollars for the upcoming period, representing almost a fourth of its total funding.
This figure represents an improvement from a prior projected gap of 1.7 billion dollars reported in May.
Excluded Funding
These financial calculations do not include an additional $1.1bn in expected contributions from ongoing discussions with various donors.
The representative for the agency stated that the present unsecured portion of the biennial budget is in fact lower than in earlier periods, crediting this to multiple factors:
- A smaller overall budget size
- The launch of a new donor outreach effort
- Higher in participating countries' mandatory fees
This realignment process is now nearing its completion, allowing the organization to progress with a renewed structure.
