The World Health Organization will lose a significant number of its global staff by June 2026, after months of a painful reorganization process in response to significant donor funding cuts.
Provisional data presented to member states on Wednesday showed global staff numbers will decrease by 2,371 by the end of June 2026 from 9,401 in January 2025. WHO said that includes 1,089 staff members who are leaving by natural attrition, and 1,282 staff members whose employment will be terminated.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told member states on Wednesday WHO is “now almost at the end of the process,” emphasizing that the objective “has been to safeguard the core functions of the organization and align our financial and human resources with those functions, while minimizing separations to the greatest degree possible.”
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.
