The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, gives a speech at the Philanthropy Asia Summit in Singapore on May 5, 2025. (Credit: Roslan Rahman/AFP)
The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Wednesday to his staff a reduction in the leadership team, a measure that is part of the agency's reorganization amid reduced U.S. funding.
In a brief email seen by AFP, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus "announces the composition" of the new "leadership team" at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, which is reduced from 11 to 6 members.
The measure "will take effect from June 16, 2025," he specified.
Five former members of the team remain, including the Briton Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist, who takes the position of deputy director-general in charge of health promotion as well as disease prevention and control.
He will be replaced by the French Sylvie Briand, who has long worked for WHO, notably as director of the department of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention.
Two major figures in WHO's fight against COVID-19 are leaving the leadership: Irish doctor Michael Ryan, head of the health emergencies program, and Canadian Bruce Aylward, head of the department responsible for universal health coverage.
On April 22, the head of WHO announced to the organization’s member states a broad reorganization and upcoming layoffs in the context of reduced U.S. funding, as the American budget cuts have left the U.N. agency's accounts in the red.
Upon his return to power in January, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of the United States from the WHO. The U.N. health agency was preparing for some time for the withdrawal of the U.S., historically by far its largest donor, next January.
The Trump administration also refused to pay agreed-upon fees for 2024 and 2025, while practically freezing all American foreign aid, including significant help to health projects worldwide.
Several other countries have also reduced their development aid spending.
In response to this situation, the WHO launched a reconsideration of its new organization, notably planning to cut the number of departments by more than half.
The payroll deficit "represents about 25 percent of current staff costs," Tedros said on April 22, while stating that "this does not necessarily mean a 25 percent reduction in the number of positions."
He did not say how many jobs would be cut, but explained that the most significant impact was expected at the organization's headquarters.
These announcements are, however, not expected immediately, but the topic, along with the drafting of the next revised and lowered budget, will be on everyone's lips at the annual meeting of WHO members next week in Geneva.
