WHO must cut budget by 20% after US withdrawal

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/international-geneva/who-must-cut-budget-by-20-per-cent-after-us-withdrawal/89086501?utm_source=multiple&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=news_en&utm_content=o&utm_term=wpblock_highlighted-compact-news-carousel

31 comments

  1. Article:

    >__The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed cutting its budget by a fifth. This comes after its largest contributor, the US, decided to withdraw. The organisation must now reduce its tasks and staff, it said.__

    >The WHO is facing a funding gap of almost $600 million (CHF530 million) in 2025 and has “no choice” but to start making cuts, the institution’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in an internal email obtained by the French news agency AFP. The letter was sent to employees of the UN health agency on Friday.

    >After moving into the White House in January, US President Donald Trump decided to freeze almost all US foreign aid, including for important programmes to improve health around the world.

    >Trump justified his decision to withdraw his country from the WHO in January with the discrepancy between the financial contributions of the US and China and accused the organisation of “ripping off” his country.

    >The US was by far the largest contributor to the WHO’s budget: in the last two-year budget cycle for 2022 to 2023, it contributed 16.3% of the organisation’s total budget of $7.89 billion. The majority of US funding came from voluntary contributions for specific projects and not from a fixed contribution.

    >Ghebreyesus noted that the WHO was already struggling with financial constraints before the US withdrawal began and had started working on measures to increase its efficiency more than nine months ago. “Although we have achieved significant cost savings, the current economic and geopolitical conditions make the mobilisation of resources particularly difficult,” he wrote.

  4. Good thing the budget cuts come now, with no nascient diseases capable of delivering mass casualties worldwide or anything…

  7. The who cutting its budget by 20% after the U.S. withdrawal of funding is concerning, especially given the global health challenges we’re facing. With less financial support, it might be harder for the organization to respond to crises effectively. It raises questions about how international cooperation and funding will evolve in the future..

  8. They can save money by firing whoever ignored all early warnings from Japan, Taiwan, and Chinese doctors about coronavirus.

  9. The world could save a lot of money by ignoring US drug patents.

  10. But if any foreign diseases try to enter the US we’ll stop ’em with tariffs.

  11. Hope we don’t have some kind of viral respiratory pandemic event. That would be crazy.

  12. Questionable organization to begin with because politics and pressure led them to botch COVID responses.

    Wish it was truly independent.

  13. thats a nice head office. is that really necessary? maybe they could sell it off and move into a cheaper office in a less expensive country

  16. But I thought China was going to fill in the gap? That’s what everyone has been saying for the last few months…

  17. You know, after hearing the world shit talk the US my whole life. It is a little satisfying to watch the world shit a brick when the US decides to start being actually selfish.

  18. Ok, start by firing all the US staff and close all US offices and facilities.

  20. So are they going to cut the top administration and top administration salaries or are they going to reduce the bottom and the programs they deliver?

  21. “What have you done to asian people, all these years? List them all.”

  22. Ouch! I guess the WHO can state the obvious like “covid is a pandemic” 4 month late rather than only 3 month late.

    In the US, there are 26M American who have no health insurance. If we have $600M, we should spend that to give them insurance first, as opposed to an organization that is not really doing much for our health anyway. Not that the Trump administration will do so, but still.

  23. They can lay off all their workers in USA now, so there’s a little savings !

  24. Cut backs on headache medicine? ok, that’s probably fair.

  25. WHO is corrupt trash anyway. EU should start their own with proper leadership.

  28. Are y’all just as mad at the other countries that aren’t funding 20% of its budget? Y’all complain about a too involved US and then a not enough involved US. Focus on your own country.

  29. i have no problem with WHO cutting their budget. i am just concerned that those who isn’t paying their dues are still sitting in council and voting.

  31. I thought china said they would step up and pay what the USA doesn’t.

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