WHO announces major overhaul, layoffs

GENEVA, Apr 23 (AFP): The World Health Organization chief acknowledged Tuesday that US funding cuts had left the UN agency with a huge budget gap, forcing it to slash operations and lay off staff.

"The sudden drop in income has left us with a large salary gap and no choice but to reduce the scale of our work and workforce," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told member states, according to a transcript of his opening remarks.

The United Nations health agency has been bracing for the planned full withdrawal of the United States-traditionally its largest donor by far-next January. US President Donald Trump's administration has meanwhile also refused to pay agreed membership fees-called assessed contributions-for 2024 and 2025, even as it has frozen virtually all US foreign aid.