The executive board meeting of the World Health Organisation on Monday was set to take on an atmosphere of crisis as it grappled with the consequences of the looming withdrawal of the US.
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 was 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 was represented on the executive board, which has 34 members and the highest decision-making body of the WHO between annual general meetings.
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The US withdrawal was due to take effect on January 22, 2026, but the new administration in Washington has instructed its officials to cease cooperation with the WHO with immediate effect.
The WHO hoped that other countries would consider increasing their contributions.
The mandatory contribution of all 194 WHO member states was 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 to 2021 budget period.
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