WHO chief to cut costs, reset priorities after U.S. exit, document shows

The United Nations confirmed on Thursday, January 23 that the U.S. was on account of withdraw from the WHO on January 22, 2026.
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The World Well being Group (WHO) will reduce prices and assessment which well being programmes to prioritise after the U.S. announced its exit, its chief advised employees in an inside memo seen by Reuters.

U.S. President Donald Trump introduced the withdrawal on the primary day of his second time period earlier this week, alleging that the worldwide well being company had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and different worldwide well being crises.

“This announcement has made our monetary state of affairs extra acute…,” WHO Director-Normal Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioned in a memo to employees dated January 23, 2025. It mentioned that the company deliberate to considerably scale back journey expenditure and halt recruitment as a part of a sequence of cost-saving measures.

A WHO spokesperson confirmed the memo was genuine however declined to remark additional.

The United Nations confirmed on Thursday, January 23 that the U.S. was on account of withdraw from the WHO on January 22, 2026.

The US is by far the WHO’s largest monetary backer, contributing round 18% of its general funding. WHO’s most up-to-date two-year funds, for 2024-2025, was $6.8 billion.