GENEVA, Feb 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The executive board meeting of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday is set to take on an atmosphere of crisis as it grapples with the consequences of the looming withdrawal of the United States.
Since President Donald Trump ordered the US to exit the WHO on his first day back in office, there has been an atmosphere of alarm at the UN agency’s headquarters in Geneva.
The US is by far the largest contributor to the WHO. In 2024, its share of the budget wass 18 percent.
It now appears inevitable that jobs and health programmes will have to be cut in order to cover the funding gap.
The US itself is currently represented on the executive board, which has 34 members and is the highest decision-making body of the WHO between annual general meetings.
The US withdrawal is due to take effect on Jan 22, 2026, but the new administration in Washington has instructed its officials to cease cooperation with the WHO with immediate effect.
The WHO hopes that other countries will consider increasing their contributions.
The mandatory contribution of all 194 WHO member states is based on a country’s economic strength. When Trump withheld funds for the WHO during his first term in office, Germany stepped in and was the largest contributor in the 2020-21 budget period. — NNN-AGENCIES
