WHO opens annual assembly as UN health agency faces 'existential crisis'
in wake of US funding cuts
[May 19, 2025]
By JAMEY KEATEN
GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization on Monday opened its annual
meeting of government ministers and other top envoys facing one of the
most serious crises of its 77-year history in the wake of Trump
administration funding cuts and plans to withdraw the United States.
The U.N. health agency this year has seen a plunge in its ability to
carry out its sweeping mandate to do everything from recommend
reductions in sugar levels in soft drinks to head the global response to
pandemics like COVID-19 or outbreaks like polio or Ebola.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been grappling with a
response to the U.S. cuts as well as reduced outlays from other
traditional Western donors who are putting more money toward defense and
less toward humanitarian aid.
Matthew Kavanagh, the director of Georgetown University’s center for
Global Health Policy and Politics, said other countries have used the
“U.S. disruption” — the cut in aid — “as cover to do their maneuvering,
with many countries in Europe reducing aid.”
“The WHO faces an existential crisis that goes well beyond a budget gap
to the question of whether this sort of multilateralism can succeed in
addressing global health in this new era of nationalism and
misinformation,” he said.
“Literally millions will likely die needlessly on the current trajectory
and the world’s health ministers do not seem capable of a coherent
response,” Kavanagh added.
On tap for the nine-day World Health Assembly are two major advances
that are aimed to buttress WHO’s financial strength and bolster the
world’s ability to cope with pandemics in the future.
Member countries are expected to agree to raise annual dues, known as
“assessed contributions,” by 20% to support WHO finances and reduce
dependency on governments’ voluntary contributions — which change each
year and make up over half of the budget.
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They are also expected to agree to a hard-wrought “ pandemic treaty ”
that was born of a desire to avoid any replay of the patchy, unequal
response to COVID-19 when the next — and inevitable, most experts say —
pandemic hits.
Among other things, the treaty would guarantee that countries that share
critical samples of viruses will receive any resulting tests, medicines
and vaccines and give WHO up to 20% of such products to make sure poorer
countries can have access to them.
Tedros calls the treaty “truly historic” and said it “can make the world
safer” by boosting collaboration to prepare for, prevent and respond to
pandemics.
The treaty’s effectiveness will face doubts when the U.S. — which poured
billions into speedy work by pharmaceutical companies to develop
COVID-19 vaccines — is sitting out, and because countries face no
penalties if they ignore it, a common issue in international law.
Kavanagh said passage of the treaty “could be a significant victory —
evidence that the U.S. government may no longer be indispensable in
global health” and could offer an opportunity for developing nations in
the “global South” over the longer term.
In the run-up to the assembly, WHO has been cleaning house and cutting
costs. Its management has presented a budget for the next two years at
just under $4.3 billion, which is 22% less than originally planned —
largely in response to Western funding cuts.
At a meeting on its budget last week, Tedros — a former Ethiopian health
and foreign minister – announced a shake-up of top management that
included the exit of key adviser Dr. Michael Ryan from the job as
emergencies chief.
Tedros said last week that the loss of U.S. funds and other assistance
have left the WHO with a salary gap of more than $500 million. WHO is
“confident” that it has commitments for 60% of funds for the next
two-year budget cycle, but it faces a budget gap of $1.7 billion.
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