The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that the decision of US President Donald Trump to reduce US development aid forced her to a restructuring.
The Director General of the Organization, Tedros Adhanum Gebrisos, told the organization’s members that she is facing a salary gap for the period 2027-2026 ranging between 560 and 650 million dollars.
He said: “The sudden decrease in income left us in front of a large financial gap in salaries, and we had no choice but to reduce the size of our work and the work of the working.”
He added: “There is an emergency character for our current situation, but we are also keen that these discounts take place in a deliberate manner, to protect the work of the organization now and on the long term.”
Among the changes he announced, senior leadership positions will be reduced from 12 to 7, and the number of sections will be reduced from 76 to 34.
Gebrisos indicated that all regional offices will be affected by varying degrees.
He said: “These are decisions that we made after a careful study and after exhausting all options, because we had no other option.”
He stressed that the organization will continue its “vital role in supporting countries during this difficult period, mobilizing local resources and preserving health services.”
“We have reached an important stage on our journey, but the road is still long in front of us.”
Trump announced after assuming his post in January most of the American spending on foreign aid, and the United States announced the withdrawal from the World Health Organization.