According to a memorandum recently signed by WHO Director-General Tedros, due to the funding cuts by the Trump administration of the United States, the organization's overall budget has been cut by more than 1/5, and layoffs will have to be taken.

Public health and climate change are among the key issues with the broadest consensus in the world today. Trump ordered his withdrawal from the organization during his first term, citing WHO's improper handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

But later, after Biden took office, he led the United States back to various organizations and international agreements, including the WHO and the Paris Climate Agreement. After Trump took office for the second time on January 20 this year, he immediately signed an executive order requiring measures to be taken as soon as possible to suspend any funding, support and resources to the WHO. This has caused great controversy internationally.

The World Health Organization, affiliated with the United Nations, is committed to coordinating responses to health emergencies worldwide and providing technical assistance. Data shows that about one-fifth of the WHO's 2023 budget (about $1.28 billion) comes from the United States. In addition, the country's voluntary contributions are mainly used in the fields of polio eradication, vaccine development, prevention and treatment of AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, maternal and child health.

Due to the suspension of US supply, the WHO's funding shortage has become more serious. The WHO Executive Board recommended that the World Health Assembly approve the planned budget for 2026 and 2027, while increasing the assessed contributions of various countries by 20%.

The above WHO memorandum is dated March 28, 2025. The document shows that the Trump administration's cut in funding, coupled with the recent transfer of a large amount of official development assistance funds from some countries to defense spending, has made the organization's situation more serious.

In view of this, the WHO will cut senior leadership at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and other regions. It is reported that the agency has nearly 9,500 staff, more than a quarter of whom work in Geneva.

At a WHO online press conference half a month ago, Tedros warned that the sudden cuts in global health funding by the United States could threaten the lives of millions of people. He urged the United States to engage in dialogue with affected countries to develop more sustainable solutions to avoid loss of life.

Tedros pointed out that the United States' actions have paralyzed HIV treatment, testing and prevention services in 50 countries, and prevention services for high-risk groups, clinic operations and work arrangements for health workers are still seriously affected, weakening global efforts to eradicate polio, severely impacting the African monkeypox epidemic and life-saving services for nearly 60,000 people in Myanmar, and will also seriously affect tuberculosis prevention and control, endangering the lives of millions of people around the world.

Tedros pleaded with the United States to consider continuing to provide necessary funding before a solution is found. At the same time, WHO staff are also working hard to obtain additional funds from countries, private donors and philanthropists.

https://finance.eastmoney.com/a/202503303360333596.html