WHO to cut over 2,000 jobs by mid-2026 amid ongoing reforms
The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to reduce its workforce by more than 2,000 positions—nearly a quarter of its staff—by mid-2026 as part of a major restructuring following the departure of its top donor, the United States.
The Geneva-based agency, which had 9,401 employees in January 2025, expects the workforce to shrink by 2,371 posts due to a combination of job cuts, retirements, and voluntary departures. The figure does not include all temporary staff and consultants who have already been let go. A WHO spokesperson confirmed that the overall reduction could reach 22%, depending on how many vacant posts are filled, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The U.S., the WHO’s largest contributor, provides roughly 18% of the organization’s funding. Its withdrawal in January prompted the WHO to scale back operations and halve its management team, accelerating the need for reforms.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged the challenging process in a message to staff, calling it “one of the most difficult in WHO’s history” but said the agency is now ready to move forward with a “reshaped and renewed organization.”
The WHO also disclosed a $1.06 billion funding gap for its 2026-2027 budget, down from an earlier estimate of $1.7 billion. This shortfall excludes $1.1 billion of expected funding from deals still under negotiation. The organization attributed the smaller gap to a reduced overall budget, new fundraising efforts, and an increase in member states’ mandatory contributions.
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