WHO freezes recruitment and slashes travel to mitigate US withdrawal

The World Health Organization (WHO) is introducing immediate cost-cutting measures including a freeze on all but critical staff recruitment, according to an email from the Director-General to staff sent last week.

The body is also prioritising activities related to health priorities, “significantly reducing” travel, limiting procurement and suspending office upgrades.

All meetings will be virtual except in “exceptional cases” and only essential missions to provide technical support to countries will go ahead, according to the email.

This comes in response to the announcement by President Donald Trump that he is pulling the United States out of the global body.

“This announcement has made our financial situation more acute” and “created uncertainty for the WHO workforce,” said Tedros.

The shock decision by the US will undermine the reform process of the past five years. This will introduce even more precarity for staff at the global body as they battles to respond to a growing tide of health challenges, that are worsening with climate change.

Read full story

Source: Health Policy Watch, 24 January 2025