“Just Stupid”
On January 23, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sent a memo to staff announcing the cost-cutting measures. Reuters obtained a copy of the memo.
“This announcement has made our financial situation more acute,” Tedros wrote, referring to U.S. withdrawal plans. WHO's budget comes mainly from membership dues and voluntary contributions from member states. The contribution is a percentage of the gross domestic product of each member state and the percentage is determined by the UN General Assembly. U.S. contributions account for about 18 percent of WHO's total funding, and the two-year 2024-2025 budget was $6.8 billion, according to Reuters.
To prepare for the budget cut, which halted hiring, significantly curtailed travel spending, made all meetings virtual, limited IT equipment updates and ramped up office renovations.
“This set of measures is not extensive and more will be announced in due course,” Tedros wrote, adding that the agency would do everything it can to protect and support staff.
The country's pending withdrawal has been heavily criticized by global health leaders and US experts, who say it will make the world less safe and weaken America. In a CBS/KFF Health News report examining the global health implications of the U.S. withdrawal, Kenneth Bernard, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University who served as a top biodefense official during the George W. Bush administration, no words shortened:
“It's just stupid,” Bernard said. “Withdrawing from the WHO leaves a gap in global health leadership that will be filled by China,” he said, “which is clearly not in America's interest.”
