WHO chief says budget plea is 'extremely modest' compared to 'costs of war' or tobacco advertising

By Euronews with AP

Published on 20/05/2025 - 12:19 GMT+2

Stripped of US funding, nan World Health Organization (WHO) main asked personnel countries to support its "extremely modest" fund petition by comparing it to nan costs of warfare aliases outlays for advertisement campaigns for tobacco.

After astir 80 years of striving to amended quality lives and wellness – which critics opportunity it has done poorly aliases not capable – nan United Nations wellness agency is fighting for its ain aft US President Donald Trump halted backing from nan United States, which has traditionally been WHO’s largest donor.

The WHO wants $4.2 cardinal (€3.7 billion) for its adjacent fund cycle, equating to $2.1 cardinal per twelvemonth (€1.8 billion).

The yearly sum is "the balanced of world subject expenditure each 8 hours," WHO main Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"And $2.1 cardinal [€1.8 billion] is one-quarter of what nan baccy manufacture spends connected advertizing and promotion each azygous year. Again, a merchandise that kills people," he told nan WHO's yearly assembly successful Geneva.

"It seems personification switched nan value tags connected what is genuinely valuable successful our world".

Tedros made nary circumstantial reference to nan US cuts but has said antecedently that nan pullout was a "mistake" and urged Washington, which did not nonstop a delegation to nan assembly, to reconsider.

WHO has presented a fund for nan adjacent 2 years that is 22 per cent little than primitively planned, mostly successful consequence to US and different Western backing cuts, and says it has landed commitments for astir 60 per cent of that.

But it still faces a fund spread of $1.7 cardinal (€1.5 billion).

"We cognize that successful nan existent landscape,** mobilising that sum will beryllium a challenge," Tedros said,** though he called nan petition "extremely modest" fixed nan organisation’s on-the-ground activity successful 150 countries. 

Cuts that could costs lives

As a consequence of nan cuts, nan WHO has seen a plunge successful its expertise to transportation retired its sweeping instruction to do everything from urge reductions successful sweetener levels successful soft drinks to caput nan world consequence to pandemics for illustration COVID-19 aliases outbreaks for illustration polio aliases Ebola.

Tedros and his squad person been grappling pinch a consequence to nan US cuts arsenic good arsenic reduced outlays from able European countries that are worried astir an description ist Russia and are putting much money toward defence, and little toward humanitarian and improvement aid.

Matthew Kavanagh, nan head of Georgetown University's Center for Global Health Policy and Politics successful nan US, said different countries person utilized nan US trim successful assistance "as screen to do their maneuvering, pinch galore countries successful Europe reducing aid".

"Literally millions will apt dice needlessly connected nan existent trajectory, and nan world’s wellness ministers do not look tin of a coherent response," Kavanagh added.

Management shake-up arsenic critics blast WHO

Trump has agelong derided WHO, including backmost successful his first word erstwhile he pulled nan US retired complete its alleged kowtowing to China and different alleged missteps successful nan COVID-19 pandemic.

After erstwhile President Joe Biden reversed nan decision, Trump again said he would withdraw nan US from nan organisation connected his first time backmost successful agency successful January.

Other opponents proceed to lash retired astatine WHO.

CitizenGo, an activistic group that supports right-to-life and belief liberty issues, protested Monday extracurricular nan UN compound successful Geneva wherever WHO's gathering was taking place.

The rally included an image of Tedros and billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, a major WHO supporter, shaking hands while surrounded by dollars.

In nan run-up to nan assembly, WHO has been cleaning nan location and cutting costs.

At a gathering connected its fund past week, Tedros – a erstwhile Ethiopian wellness and overseas curate – announced a shake-up of apical guidance that included nan exit of cardinal advisor Dr Michael Ryan from nan occupation arsenic emergencies chief.

Tedros said past week that nan nonaccomplishment of US costs and different assistance has near nan WHO pinch a net spread of much than $500 cardinal (€440 million).