WHO Abolishes 400 Posts - Half in Geneva : Shared by Niloufar Pourzand

Tedros says 400 WHO jobs phased out
By Paula Dupraz-Dobias – Geneva Solutions
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Summary

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that 400 jobs have been cut since January as part of the UN health agency’s restructuring, about half of them at headquarters in Geneva.

The cuts came through “natural attrition,” early retirements, and non-renewal of contracts, with some positions relocated to regional or country offices. Member states’ recent decision to increase mandatory fees has helped limit the scope of job losses, Tedros said.

Assistant Director-General Raul Thomas stated that 200 Geneva posts were affected. The overhaul follows the United States’ withdrawal of funding and coincides with a reduced $4.2 billion budget for the next biennium, down from $5.3 billion. While Tedros described the process as deliberate and less severe than other UN agencies, staff have raised concerns about transparency and the lack of communication on how restructuring decisions will affect them. Tedros promised more information will be shared “soon.”

Quotes

“We have already minimised the impact.” – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

“Obviously, when you talk about the appointment of assistant director generals, that’s not a transparent selection process, as a political, technical decision that’s made by the director general.” – Raul Thomas

“Some agencies, six months ago, sent off 6,000 people. We didn’t want to go that way. We have to do things consciously and deliberately.” – Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus