The announcement of the United States of America (USA) leaving the World Health Organization (WHO), along with cuts in contributions from other countries, created a €430 million deficit for the agency, reported Lusa on Thursday, November 20.
According to the report, the information was disclosed by the organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who stated that the deficit, equivalent to €432 million, forced the elimination of 1,282 jobs. Ghebreyesus met with delegates from member states to explain the crisis facing the organization.
Many efforts were made to minimize the impact on employees, who total around 9,000 people, according to the WHO Director-General, emphasizing that initial estimates indicated the need to “lay off about 2,900 staff.”
Many positions were eliminated through non-renewal of temporary contracts, voluntary retirement, and resignations, he said. “Workers are not statistics, they are people with lives, families, and careers, and we have tried to treat everyone with dignity and respect, in the best way possible,” he stated.
The United States announced its withdrawal from the WHO earlier this year, coinciding with Donald Trump’s presidency, causing the organization to lose nearly one-fifth of its total budget. Ghebreyesus noted that the WHO’s financial constraints—which are not unique among UN agencies—required a reduction in the 2026-27 budget, from the initially projected €4.5 billion to the €3.6 billion approved at the May annual assembly.
“This year has been one of the most difficult in WHO’s history,” Ghebreyesus emphasized.
For several years, the WHO has been attempting to reduce its reliance on voluntary contributions from a small group of donors, which currently represent nearly 90% of total revenue, Ghebreyesus explained.
The US also reduced funding for humanitarian aid organizations this year by cutting investments in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), citing fraud and misuse of resources. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that over 80% of USAID programs were canceled.
According to a study published in July by the scientific journal The Lancet, the US decision is expected to result in more than 14 million premature deaths by 2030.
Source: Diário Económico
