WHO Chief Declares 2025 Agency’s "Most Difficult Year"

(MENAFN) The World Health Organization's director-general painted 2025 as a year of dramatic contradictions Monday—celebrating historic health policy victories while grappling with financial turmoil that triggered workforce downsizing.

Addressing the 158th Executive Board session in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus characterized the past year as simultaneously "stark contrasts" for the UN health body, combining unprecedented achievements with severe budgetary pressures.

Tedros highlighted 2025 as "landmark" for WHO, pointing to the Pandemic Agreement's ratification, revised International Health Regulations taking effect, approved increases in member state contributions, and an ambitious UN policy framework targeting noncommunicable diseases plus mental health conditions.

Yet the director-general acknowledged darker realities unfolding in parallel.

"One of the most difficult years in our Organization's history," he stated, explaining that "significant cuts to our funding left us with no choice but to reduce the size of our workforce."

The WHO leader contextualized the agency's struggles within widespread turmoil impacting international institutions, noting "sudden and severe cuts to bilateral aid" destabilizing healthcare infrastructure across numerous nations.

Tedros reminded attendees that WHO initiated efforts to reduce dependence on limited donor pools over eight years ago, including a 2022-approved strategy targeting 50% assessed contributions for base operations. Member nations have already greenlit multiple funding increases extending through 2031.

"Thanks to all these measures, we have now mobilized 85% of the resources we need for the base budget this biennium," he reported, though cautioning the remaining shortfall would prove challenging to eliminate. Earmarked funding continues generating "pockets of poverty" across critical domains—emergency readiness, antimicrobial resistance, health financing, climate adaptation, and health determinants.

Without approved contribution increases, WHO would face "in a far worse situation," Tedros argued, emphasizing ongoing reforms remain vital for maintaining an impartial, evidence-driven organization.

"The story of 2025 is not one of austerity, but resolve," he declared. "This is your WHO. Its strength is your unity. Its future is your choice."

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