WHO Job Crisis: 2,000 Positions Cut Amid US Funding Withdrawal

The US, which was the UN health agency’s biggest financial backer -- contributing about 18 per cent of its overall funding -- halted all assistance on January 20, following the swearing-in of the new US President.

In the wake of the funding cut, the WHO had to scale back its work and cut its management team by half.

From 9,401 in January 2025, the WHO estimates to cut down 2,371 job posts by June 2026. While some are being laid off, others are retiring and departing, as per a Member States Briefing document.

“The restructuring has aimed at protecting the core technical capabilities,” it said.

At the WHO’s Geneva office, the workforce will be cut by 28 per cent. Region-wise, the headcount in the Africa Region is expected to decrease by 25 per cent, while the Southeast Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions will each see a decrease of 14 per cent.

Further, the European region will slash 24 per cent, and the Western Pacific is expected to decrease its workforce by 7 per cent.

Notably, the numbers do not include the many temporary staff or consultants, who, as per reports, have been made redundant.

The WHO had, in August, informed that hundreds of staff had departed; it was the first time that the UN health agency had given the full scale of the expected change to its global staff.

Moreover, the document also showed that the Geneva-based body has a $1.06 billion funding gap in its 2026-2027 budget. This is nearly a quarter of the total required, down from an estimated gap of $1.7 billion in May.

The 2026 workforce at WHO will also be slightly younger -- 51 per cent of staff will be aged 30-49, as compared to 49 per cent in the past.

The report also cited significant new savings in travel and procurement costs in 2025 -- a 50 per cent reduction in travel costs as of the end of October.

- IANS