Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

A picture taken on May 8, 2021 shows a sign of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the entrance of their headquarters in Geneva amid the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Fabrice Coffrini, AFP/File

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:959px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17484064765801739326990435WHO.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A picture taken on May 8, 2021 shows a sign of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the entrance of their headquarters in Geneva amid the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Fabrice Coffrini, AFP/File</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><p>GENEVA, Switzerland — The World Health Organization tried to stabilize its finances at its annual assembly which ended on Tuesday, but still remains well short of reaching its already reduced target.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/4/23/who-announces-significant-layoffs-amid-us-funding-cuts-1051">WHO announces &#x27;significant&#x27; layoffs amid US funding cuts</a></div><p>Hit by the withdrawal of its biggest donor, the United States, the WHO trimmed its already smaller 2026 to 2027 budget from $5.3 billion to $4.2 billion.</p><p>The UN health agency&#x27;s program budget for 2024 to 2025 was $6.8 billion.</p><p>The slimmer budget plan was approved during the World Health Assembly, which serves as the WHO&#x27;s decision-making body.</p><p>But a funding gap of some $1.7 billion remains.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>HOW WHO FUNDING WORKS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>WHO budgets run in two-year cycles.</p><p>Founded in 1948, the agency initially received all its funding through &quot;assessed contributions&quot;: nations&#x27; membership fees calculated according to wealth and population.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/10/14/who-receives-nearly-1-billion-in-new-funding-at-berlin-summit-719">WHO receives nearly $1 billion in new funding at Berlin summit</a></div><p>However, the WHO became increasingly reliant on &quot;voluntary contributions&quot;, which only go towards outcomes specified by the donor.</p><p>By the 2020 to 2021 cycle, assessed contributions represented only 16 percent of the approved program budget.</p><p>And the organization had long been over-reliant on voluntary funding from a few major donors.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>2026-2027 BUDGET</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In 2022, member states agreed to increase their assessed contributions to represent 50 percent of the WHO&#x27;s core budget by the 2030 to 2031 cycle at the latest -- giving the WHO more stable, flexible and predictable income streams.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/5/20/who-adopts-landmark-pandemic-agreement-1654">WHO adopts landmark pandemic agreement</a></div><p>They upped membership fees by 20 percent as part of the 2024-2025 budget.</p><p>At this year&#x27;s assembly, countries approved another 20 percent increase in membership fees, which should represent an additional $90 million in revenue per year.</p><p>They also endorsed the WHO&#x27;s 2026 to 2027 budget of $4.2 billion.</p><p>&quot;Your approval of the next increase in assessed contributions was a strong vote of confidence in your WHO at this critical time,&quot; the organization&#x27;s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday in closing the assembly.</p><p>Most of that money is already assured.</p><p>&quot;We have now secured 60 percent of our base budget for 2026 to 2027; a remarkable result in today&#x27;s financial climate,&quot; said Hanan Balkhy, the WHO&#x27;s Eastern Mediterranean regional director.</p><p>But that means the agency is still $1.7 billion short, despite the reduced budget.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>PLEDGES</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>At a pledging event last week, donors put in an additional $210 million for the 2025 to 2028 investment round, supporting the WHO&#x27;s base budget.</p><p>That included $80 million from Switzerland, $57 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, $13.5 million from Sweden and $6 million from Qatar.</p><p>&quot;In a challenging climate for global health, these funds will help us to preserve and extend our life-saving work,&quot; said Tedros.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>UNITED STATES</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Upon returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump started the one-year process for leaving the WHO, and had frozen virtually all US foreign aid.</p><p>The United States was traditionally the WHO&#x27;s largest donor. Washington&#x27;s departure, and its refusal to pay its membership fees for 2024 and 2025, has left the WHO reeling financially.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/2/12/who-facing-new-realities-as-us-withdrawal-looms-1026">WHO facing &#x27;new realities&#x27; as US withdrawal looms</a></div><p>Washington did not attend the World Health Assembly.</p><p>However, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent a video message in which he branded the organization as bloated and moribund, and urged other countries to &quot;consider joining us&quot; in creating new institutions instead.</p><p>Kennedy said the UN agency was under undue influence from China, gender ideology and the pharmaceutical industry.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>REORGANIZATION</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The budget cuts have forced the WHO to reorganize.</p><p>It is reducing its executive management team from 14 to seven due to the dramatic US funding cuts.</p><p>The number of departments is being reduced from 76 to 34.</p><p>The WHO has not yet announced any large-scale layoffs, unlike other UN agencies.</p><div><strong>— By Robin Millard, Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gFhE3KRoj0g?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The slimmer budget plan was approved during the World Health Assembly, which serves as the WHO's decision-making body.</p>

The slimmer budget plan was approved during the World Health Assembly, which serves as the WHO's decision-making body.

WHO restructures, cuts budget after US withdrawal

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WHO restructures, cuts budget after US withdrawal

Agence France-Presse

Published May 28, 2025 12:38 PM PHT

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