The World Health Organization is tightening its belt following the U.S. decision to exit the U.N. agency.
In an email to staff seen by Devex, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the U.S. announcement has made the agency’s financial situation “more acute.”
WHO has been dealing with financial struggles for quite some time. Much of its budget is funded by voluntary contributions, and a big chunk of that is tied to specific programs or projects — and unpredictable. This makes it hard for WHO to plan ahead and allocate resources sufficiently across all of its programs. On top of that, a large portion of WHO’s budget is reliant on a few donors, including the U.S., its biggest contributor. Losing the U.S. as a member would leave a gap in its finances amounting to around 15% of its current budget.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
