A recent media report indicates that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is confronting a significant financial deficit this year and extending through 2027 following the United States’ decision to withdraw its membership.
This shortfall persists even after the UN health agency implemented substantial budget reductions.
In preparation for the US’s planned full departure next January, the WHO has progressively decreased its two-year budget for 2026-2027 from $5.3 billion to $4.2 billion.
However, according to Health Policy Watch, even with this considerable scaling back, the agency still faces a $1.9 billion gap in funding for that budget period. This figure, reportedly shared with staff during a town hall meeting on Tuesday, is in addition to the nearly $600 million shortfall the WHO had already warned about for the current year’s budget.
The WHO has not yet responded to requests for comment on this report, which emerges as the organisation grapples with the impending loss of its historically largest donor.
Following his return to the White House in January, President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the WHO and also decided to freeze almost all US foreign aid, including significant funding for health initiatives worldwide.
During its 2022-2023 budget cycle, the United States contributed $1.3 billion to the WHO, primarily through voluntary contributions directed towards specific projects rather than fixed membership dues.
The agency has acknowledged that Washington did not pay its 2024 membership dues and is not expected to fulfil its membership obligations for 2025.
According to a WHO overview, the United States owes a total of $260 million in membership fees alone for the 2024-2025 period.
Just last Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus informed staff about the $600 million deficit in this year’s budget, stating in a message seen by AFP that the agency had “no choice” but to initiate cutbacks.
In his email, Tedros stated that “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 noted that the organisation was already facing financial challenges even before Trump initiated the one-year withdrawal process.
Tedros further explained, “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.”
He informed staff that “this reduction will begin at headquarters, starting with senior leadership, but will affect all levels and regions.”
Last month, Tedros urged Washington to reconsider its significant reductions in global health funding, cautioning that the sudden cessation of aid threatened millions of lives. He specifically warned that disruptions to global HIV programmes alone could lead to “more than 10 million additional cases of HIV and three million HIV-related deaths.”
