WHO Plans Major Relocations and Staff Reductions Amid Budget Cuts

The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to implement significant changes to its operations in response to budget constraints, which have been exacerbated by the United States’ decision to withdraw from the agency. According to documents reviewed by Reuters, the WHO plans to relocate four units, reduce certain functions, and not replace approximately 400 staff members whose contracts have ended or who have left the organization this year.

Relocation Plans

The WHO’s relocation strategy includes moving several functions from its headquarters in Geneva. The health emergencies team will shift to Berlin, while the operations and logistics unit will be transferred to Dubai. Additionally, the health workforce and nursing department will relocate to Lyon, France, by January 2026, and traditional medicine functions will move to Jamnagar, India, by July 2026. The agency has existing bases in these locations that specialize in relevant areas, and the relocations are projected to save up to $3.3 million annually, although initial costs will be incurred during the transition.

As of January 2025, approximately 31 percent of the WHO’s staff, or nearly 3,000 people, were based in Geneva. The funding challenges the agency faces were intensified following the U.S. announcement of its withdrawal on the first day of Donald Trump’s presidency in January 2021.

Budget Cuts and Job Reductions

In May 2023, the WHO made the decision to reduce its budget for 2026-2027 by 21 percent, bringing it down to $4.2 billion. This budget reduction has led to a significant downsizing of its management team, which has already been halved. The documents presented to member states this week also indicate a pullback from various initiatives in WHO regional offices. For instance, the Europe region will increasingly depend on the headquarters team for certain non-communicable disease efforts, while the Western Pacific region will discontinue its work in areas such as sexual and reproductive health, sanitation, and adolescent health. These responsibilities will then be handed over to other agencies, including the UN Population Fund and UNICEF.

A WHO spokesperson confirmed that since January, 409 of the organization’s approximately 9,450 global staff have departed due to natural attrition, non-renewal of contracts, and voluntary early retirements. The spokesperson also noted that the WHO anticipates an additional 600 job cuts in Geneva, further compounding the impact of the budget cuts. While the spokesperson did not comment specifically on the details of the documents, they emphasized that any relocations aim to make the organization more “agile and efficient.”

“This is done in order to strengthen our core mission and activities, and at the same time capitalise on any efficiencies, including cost savings, that can be made,” the spokesperson stated via email.

The WHO’s strategic shifts reflect a broader trend in international organizations facing financial constraints and the need to adapt to changing global health priorities.