
Adrian Frutiger Wikimedia Commons
Member states of the World Health Organization are set to deliberate on a potential reduction of $400 million from its budget, following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States, the organization’s largest governmental contributor. This information was disclosed in a document released on Monday.
During the opening of the U.N. agency’s annual executive board meeting, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defended the organization’s efforts and recent reforms. He also urged the United States to reconsider its withdrawal and engage in discussions with the agency regarding further improvements.
“We would appreciate any recommendations from the United States, as well as from all member states, on how we can enhance our service to you and to the global population,” he stated.
The budget reduction will be discussed at the Geneva meeting scheduled for February 3-11, where representatives from member states will deliberate on the agency’s funding and operations for the 2026-27 period.
According to a document published on Monday, the executive board recommends reducing the base programmes segment of the budget from an initially proposed $5.3 billion to $4.9 billion. This adjustment is part of the broader budget of $7.5 billion for 2026-27, which includes allocations for polio eradication and emergency response initiatives.
Some representatives on the board expressed a desire to convey that the World Health Organization (WHO) would maintain its strategic focus in the face of challenges, as noted in the document. The proposed budget of $4.9 billion is approximately equivalent to the base program budget for the preceding period, 2024-2025.
Two weeks ago, on his first day in office, Trump initiated the process to withdraw the United States from the WHO. This procedure is expected to take one year in accordance with U.S. law.
On Monday, Tedros specifically responded to several of Trump’s criticisms, particularly regarding the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and the independence of the WHO. He emphasized that the organization acted swiftly in response to the COVID outbreak and affirmed that the WHO is willing to reject requests from member states that contradict its mission or scientific principles.