<p>London: The World Health Organization has reduced its management team by half and will have to scale back operations, its director-general said on Wednesday, four months after the United States announced it was leaving the agency and cutting funding.</p>.<p>"To be blunt, we cannot do everything," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a budget committee meeting ahead of the body's annual meeting next week.</p>.<p>President Donald Trump said the US was leaving the agency on the first day of his return to office in January.</p>.Trump says he may consider rejoining World Health Organization.<p>Under US law, a one-year notice period is required before the country, the biggest financial backer of the WHO, can leave, as well as the payment of all fees. That money is outstanding.</p>.<p>Tedros said the body and its member states must make difficult choices about what to prioritise, given a proposed 21% cut in the budget for 2026-2027 to $4.2 billion.</p>.<p>Even that reduced budget will only be about 60 per cent funded, provided member states agree to raise their mandatory fees at the meeting next week, he said.</p>.<p>The WHO has already announced efficiency measures and hopes to save around $165 million this year.</p>.<p>It will also reduce the number of its departments to 34 from 76 and plans to cut staff costs by 25%, Tedros said, although that did not mean 25 per cent of jobs would be cut.</p>.<p>"But let’s be clear: reducing the scale of our workforce means reducing the scale and scope of our work," he said, adding the organisation would close some offices in high-income countries.</p>.<p>Tedros said the WHO has had discussions with other global health groups to discuss better collaboration given the cuts.</p>.<p>The body's new leadership team of seven, including Tedros, is down from 14 people. The changes include moving chief scientist Dr. Jeremy Farrar into a role as assistant director-general for health promotion and disease prevention and control.</p>.<p>Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu will become executive director of the health emergencies programme, and Dr. Sylvie Briand will be chief scientist. </p>
<p>London: The World Health Organization has reduced its management team by half and will have to scale back operations, its director-general said on Wednesday, four months after the United States announced it was leaving the agency and cutting funding.</p>.<p>"To be blunt, we cannot do everything," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a budget committee meeting ahead of the body's annual meeting next week.</p>.<p>President Donald Trump said the US was leaving the agency on the first day of his return to office in January.</p>.Trump says he may consider rejoining World Health Organization.<p>Under US law, a one-year notice period is required before the country, the biggest financial backer of the WHO, can leave, as well as the payment of all fees. That money is outstanding.</p>.<p>Tedros said the body and its member states must make difficult choices about what to prioritise, given a proposed 21% cut in the budget for 2026-2027 to $4.2 billion.</p>.<p>Even that reduced budget will only be about 60 per cent funded, provided member states agree to raise their mandatory fees at the meeting next week, he said.</p>.<p>The WHO has already announced efficiency measures and hopes to save around $165 million this year.</p>.<p>It will also reduce the number of its departments to 34 from 76 and plans to cut staff costs by 25%, Tedros said, although that did not mean 25 per cent of jobs would be cut.</p>.<p>"But let’s be clear: reducing the scale of our workforce means reducing the scale and scope of our work," he said, adding the organisation would close some offices in high-income countries.</p>.<p>Tedros said the WHO has had discussions with other global health groups to discuss better collaboration given the cuts.</p>.<p>The body's new leadership team of seven, including Tedros, is down from 14 people. The changes include moving chief scientist Dr. Jeremy Farrar into a role as assistant director-general for health promotion and disease prevention and control.</p>.<p>Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu will become executive director of the health emergencies programme, and Dr. Sylvie Briand will be chief scientist. </p>