Without money, nothing works. This also applies to the World Health Organization (WHO), which, without the contributions from the United States, no longer has enough resources to pay salaries. Now, a mass layoff has been announced. More than one fifth of employees could lose their jobs.
When the member states agreed on a draft for the controversial WHO pandemic treaty on April 16, which is to be submitted to the World Health Assembly for a vote on May 19, the supporters of this dystopian project were likely not fully aware of how dire the situation is for this globalist organization. With the withdrawal of the United States under President Trump, the WHO lacks financial resources. Without funds from Washington-over $3.5 billion since 2010-the organization can no longer maintain regular operations. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus therefore announced that there is a “large salary gap” and that there is “no other choice” but “to reduce the scope of our work and our staff.”
In Trump’s executive order of January 20, which halted US funding to the UN organization, the president cited the “mismanagement of the WHO during the Covid-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China,” as well as other global health issues. This criticism had already been voiced by the Republican in 2020, when he previously ordered the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO.
According to Tedros, “the refusal of the US to pay its assessed contributions for 2024 and 2025, combined with cuts in official development assistance from some other countries, means that for the 2026–27 biennium we have a salary gap of $560 to $650 million.” The lower end of this range “corresponds to about 25 percent of personnel costs,” he continued, adding that this “does not necessarily mean a reduction in the number of positions by 25 percent.” Nevertheless, “we will have to say goodbye to a significant number of colleagues.” This means that at least 1,500 of the more than 8,000 employees can be expected to lose their jobs. The WHO Director emphasized that the greatest impact will likely be felt at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva. “We are starting with cuts in upper management,” he said. “We are reducing the leadership team at headquarters from 12 to seven, and the number of departments will be reduced by more than half, from 76 to 34,” Tedros explained. The regional offices of the WHO will be affected “to varying degrees,” he added, and some country offices in wealthier countries will likely be closed. Whether he himself will cut his salary-which is around $240,000 net this year, including a representation allowance, plus other benefits-is not known.
Considering that the WHO member states only decided in 2022 to significantly increase membership contributions, a further increase is hardly an option. This is especially true because many of the largest contributors (for example, Germany is paying more than $61 million for the 2024/2025 biennium) are themselves facing budget problems.
