WHO must cut budget by fifth after US pullout: email

The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed slashing a fifth of its budget following the US decision to withdraw, and must now reduce its reach and workforce, its chief said in an internal email seen by AFP on Saturday.

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The WHO is facing an income gap of nearly US$600 million (20 billion baht) in 2025 and has "no choice" but to start preparing cutbacks, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the message sent Friday to the UN health agency's staff.

Besides examining the US pullout from the WHO after returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump decided to freeze virtually all US foreign aid, including vital assistance to health projects worldwide. The United States was by far the WHO's biggest donor.