The World Health Organization (WHO) will cut costs and re-examine which programs to prioritize after US President Donald Trump announced his withdrawal, his chief of staff said in an internal memo seen by Reuters .
Donald Trump, who took office on Monday, announced on the first day of his second term that the United States was withdrawing from the WHO, saying it had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other health crises international.
This announcement has worsened our financial situation.
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World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Archive photo)
Photo : AP / Johanna Geron
The document states that the organization plans to significantly reduce travel costs and halt recruitment except in critical areas.
A spokesperson for theOMS confirmed the authenticity of the note, but declined to comment further.
-An 18% hole in the budget
The United Nations confirmed on Thursday that the United States would withdraw fromOMS on January 22, 2026. The United States is by far the largest donor to theOMSproviding around 18% of its global funding.
The last biennial budget of theOMS for the period 2024-2025 amounted to $6.8 billion.
The internal memo indicates that theOMS has already worked to reform the organization and change the way it is financed, including member states increasing their mandatory contributions and contributing to its investment cycle launched last year.
The document emphasizes, however, that additional funds will be needed and that spending reductions will have to be made.
Among the measures considered, the memo cites making all meetings virtual by default without exceptional approval, limiting the replacement of IT equipment and suspending office renovations unless they are related to security or spending reductions already approved.
This set of measures is not exhaustive and others will be announced in due course
we can read in the note.
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