Director-General: WHO faces unprecedented crisis in global health funding

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is facing what its Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has described as the most severe disruption in global health financing in living memory.

The warning comes as multiple donor nations scale back contributions, deepening the agency’s financial crisis, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The situation has been compounded by the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO, initiated by President Donald Trump’s administration after taking office in January. The US, historically the WHO’s largest donor, had contributed approximately 18 per cent of the organisation’s total funding. The decision was attributed to dissatisfaction with the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health emergencies.

“We are living through the greatest disruption to global health financing in memory,” Tedros told reporters at a press briefing held at WHO headquarters in Geneva. In response to the funding gap, the WHO has already downgraded its operating budget. 

An internal memo revealed that the organization is facing a $600 million shortfall this year and plans to reduce its 2026–2027 budget by 21 per cent, from $5.3 billion to $4.2 billion. Staffing cuts are expected to follow. “It is of course very painful,” Tedros said, emphasizing that the cuts could have far-reaching consequences for health services and programs around the world. The WHO is now considering cost reductions at all levels — headquarters, regional, and country offices. 

Some offices in higher-income nations may be closed, and jobs at the Geneva headquarters will also be affected. According to WHO Assistant Director-General for Business Operations Raul Thomas, 25 per cent of the organisation’s salary costs are currently unfunded over the next two years. The precise number of job losses has not been confirmed and will depend on staffing grades and geographic distribution. Tedros also highlighted the structural vulnerability in WHO’s funding model, noting that the agency remains heavily reliant on a small group of donors.

By Naila Huseynova