The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed cutting its budget by more than 20% due to the US decision to withdraw its funding of the global health institution.
According to AFP, this disclosure is contained in an internal email sent on Friday, March 28, 2025, by the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO boss, in the message, noted that the budget cut will now lead to the scaling back of its operations and a reduction in workforce.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO is facing an income gap of nearly $600 million in 2025 and has “no choice” but to start making cutbacks.
President Donald Trump had upon assuming office in January, announced that the US will withdraw from the WHO, criticizing the organization for mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and other global health crises.
The US, the WHO’s largest financial contributor, accounted for about 18% of its funding.
Besides triggering the US pullout from the WHO after returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump decided to freeze virtually all US foreign aid, including vast assistance towards boosting health worldwide.
WHO situation more acute
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Dramatic cuts to official development assistance by the United States of America and others are causing massive disruption to countries, NGOs and United Nations agencies, including WHO.’’
He said that even before Trump triggered the one-year process of withdrawing from the WHO, the organisation was already facing financial constraints, and had begun working on efficiency measures more than nine months ago.
He said, “The United States’ announcement, combined with recent reductions in official development assistance by some countries to fund increased defence spending, has made our situation much more acute.
“While we have achieved substantial cost savings, the prevailing economic and geopolitical conditions have made resource mobilisation particularly difficult.
“As a result, we are facing an income gap of almost $600 million this year alone.”
US withdrawal worsens funding crisis
The US withdrawal has worsened a funding crisis as member states cut their development spending.
Faced with a nearly $600 million income gap this year, the WHO executive board had proposed slashing its budget for 2026-27 by 21%, from $5.3 billion to $4.2 billion.
Tedros said, “Since then, the outlook for development assistance has deteriorated, not only for WHO, but for the whole international health ecosystem.
“We have, therefore, proposed to member states a further reduced budget of $4.2 billion — a 21 percent reduction from the original proposed budget.”
In the body’s last two-year budget cycle, for 2022-23, the United States pitched in $1.3 billion, representing 16.3 percent of the WHO’s then $7.89 billion budget.
Most of the US funding was through voluntary contributions for specific earmarked projects, rather than fixed membership fees.
He said, “Despite our best efforts, we are now at the point where we have no choice but to reduce the scale of our work and workforce.
“This reduction will begin at headquarters, starting with senior leadership, but will affect all levels and regions.”
