WHO chief announces mass layoffs of employees.

The funding of the WHO from the United States has been reduced, leading to a negative balance in their accounts. The organization is forced to lay off employees and cut programs. This was reported by France 24, citing WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.The administration of President Donald Trump refused to pay contributions for 2024 and 2025, and also froze foreign aid, including funding for health projects in other countries. Several other countries have also cut their spending on the WHO."The refusal of the United States to pay established contributions for 2024 and 2025, combined with the reduction of official development assistance from some other countries, means that we face a payroll fund deficit in the two-year period of 2026-2027 ranging from $560 million to $650 million," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the payroll deficit amounts to about 25% of personnel costs. He emphasized that this does not mean that it is necessary to reduce the number of positions.The exact number of jobs to be cut has not been specified, but it is expected that most of them will be at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. According to the director-general, they are starting the layoffs with management, and these are difficult decisions for them.Trump signed a decree to withdraw the United States from the WHO on January 21, complaining about the country's high contributions. On February 3, the United States ceased operations of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which funded various international organizations.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the virus pandemic is spreading faster and this is a real threat, not just a theoretical risk.