The World Health Organization (WHO) is bracing for one of the deepest workforce cuts in its history, with nearly 2,400 jobs set to disappear by June 2026 as the agency confronts a massive funding crisis and the aftermath of a turbulent restructuring.
Provisional figures shared with member states show WHO’s global staff will shrink from 9,401 in January 2025 to 7,030 by mid-2026. The cuts break down into 1,089 natural exits and 1,282 forced terminations, a blow described internally by one senior official as “chaos.”
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told member states the process is “almost at the end,” stressing that management tried to preserve core functions while keeping layoffs “as minimal as possible.” Without the current restructuring model, WHO estimates nearly 2,900 employees would have been separated.
In an internal email, Tedros sought to calm shaken staff, saying new opportunities are expected to open in the future and that affected workers would receive priority consideration. But many employees say uncertainty still dominates the atmosphere.
Geneva and Africa office take the heaviest hit
The sharpest losses fall on WHO’s Geneva headquarters and the Africa Regional Office in Brazzaville. Geneva will lose 808 workers, while Brazzaville will shed 774, covering both professional and support staff.
Entry-level professionals and directors will feel the highest proportional impact, but the largest numerical cuts will be among locally recruited administrative staff , the backbone of WHO’s operations.
A senior official told Devex the agency still lacks a clear statement on which programmes will be deprioritized. “The narrative from the top continues to be ‘we do more with less,’ which is not realistic,” they said.
A crisis triggered by the U.S. exit
The restructuring began after the United States announced in early 2025 its intention to withdraw from the WHO, a major blow, given that Washington historically financed around 16% of the agency’s budget.
That decision, combined with a difficult global funding environment, left WHO facing a $600 million shortfall in 2025 and a projected $1 billion gap for 2026.
The organization has since adopted a $4.2 billion budget for 2026–2027, representing a 14% cut. But even that trimmed-down figure is not fully funded: WHO still needs more than $1 billion in confirmed contributions, with an additional $1.1 billion tied up in preliminary negotiations.
In September, the WHO staff association demanded a freeze on layoffs and an independent review of the restructuring process, raising concerns about fairness, transparency, and the speed of the overhaul.
The shake-up has already triggered leadership changes. High-profile figures like Dr. Mike Ryan have exited, while others, including Dr. Bruce Aylward, have moved into different roles.
Funding decision pushed beyond Tedros’ term
Tedros asked member states to help close the current funding deficit and commit to raising assessed contributions, the most reliable source of WHO financing. But the final decisions on increases are slated for 2027, 2029 and 2031, well after his term ends.
For now, staff cuts, program downsizing, and operational uncertainty continue to dominate the organization. And with a billion-dollar hole still looming over the next budget cycle, deeper questions remain about how WHO will maintain its global health mandate with a significantly reduced workforce.
