The Associated Press
President Donald Trump’s decision to exit the World Health Organization means the U.N. agency is losing its biggest funder. For the two-year budget ending in 2025, the U.S. is projected to be WHO’s largest single contributor by far. It is expected to donate $958 million, or nearly 15%, of the agency’s roughly $6.5 billion budget.
About 70% of WHO’s budget comes from these voluntary contributions, which makes it difficult for the agency to set its own public health priorities. In 2022, WHO member countries agreed to reform its financing model, aiming to make countries’ membership fees about half of its budget by 2030.
The WHO is the U.N.’s specialized health agency and is mandated to coordinate the world’s response to global health threats, including outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and polio. It also provides technical assistance to poorer countries, helps distribute scarce vaccines, supplies and treatments and sets guidelines for hundreds of health conditions, including mental health and cancer.
U.S. public health officials were told this week to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately.
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