WHO offers Voluntary Early Retirement to Staff Amid US Withdrawal

Bengaluru: The World Health Organization is offering voluntary early retirement to staff members over 55 as part of cost-cutting measures in response to the planned exit of its largest financial contributor, the United States.

The voluntary early retirement package is being offered to staffers at all duty stations, the WHO said in a statement emailed on Friday, reports Reuters.

The scheme is intended for staff above 55, and those who accept would have to leave the agency by July 15, it said.

The WHO, which typically receives about a fifth of its overall annual funding from the U.S., has been forced to freeze hiring and initiate budget cuts ever since President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal.

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The U.S. funded 75 per cent of the WHO's program for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and accounted for more than half the contributions it received to combat tuberculosis during the agency's 2024-25 budget period.

According to Reuters report, Trump, who started a 12-month withdrawal process for the U.S. to leave the WHO earlier this year, has said he may consider rejoining the agency.

Bloomberg News was the first to report the WHO's early retirement program.

Trump also ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid contributions, throwing global humanitarian relief efforts into chaos. But the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to let the administration withhold payments to foreign aid organizations for services already rendered to the government.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the United States' decision to exit the World Health Organization (WHO) will not affect the ongoing health projects and programmes in India that are in partnership with the global agency, announced Union Health Minister J P Nadda.

Also Read:US Exit from WHO Won't Impact Projects in India, says JP Nadda