The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning that the global health
system is at risk as severe funding cuts and a "retreat from international health financing" begin to take hold. Speaking to the Executive Board in Geneva, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described 2025 as one of the most difficult years in the agency's history, marked by workforce reductions and significant disruptions to essential services. These challenges are mounting just as the world faces rising threats from new pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, and a projected global shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030.
The crisisis further intensified by the formal withdrawal notifications from major contributors, including the United States and Argentina. While WHO has mitigated some financial shocks through increased mandatory contributions from other Member States — covering about 85% of its core budget — critical gaps remain in emergency preparedness and climate resilience. Tedros emphasized that "solidarity is the best immunity," urging the international community to move away from aid dependency and toward a unified, predictable funding model to ensure that the 4.6 billion people currently lacking essential health services are not left further behind.
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