The World Health Organization (WHO) boss, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the Geneva-based UN agency has revised down its budget to $4.2 billion (CHF3.5 billion) for 2026-2027. He made the announcement at the start of the eight-day World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva of 194 member states. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The meeting opened without the United States and Argentina, which have decided to withdraw from the WHO. The UN agency's ongoing financial crisis and the planned pandemic treaty are at the centre of the meeting in Geneva, which runs until May 27. The US previously contributed around 20% of WHO's budget. The agency has had to cut its planned two-year budget for 2026/27 by around 20% to $2.1 billion a year. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said $2.1 billion a year was not much: such a sum is spent on defence equipment worldwide every eight hours, he commented. Drastic reduction of WHO staff The WHO has been forced to cut top management jobs ...
