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Dr Thomas Parran, Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service, and Dr Martha M. Eliot, Associate Director of the Children’s Bureau of the Department of Labor, during the 1946 International Health Conference in New York, where the WHO Constitution was finalized and signed. Credit: © WHO. Title: 80 years strong: the WHO Constitution Author: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Publication: World Health Organization Date: 24 July 2026

  WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States 24 January 2026   Statement   As a founding member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, and progress against many other public health threats including polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and more.

Unbelievably crude. Calling WHO the "so-called World Health Organization" in typical Trumpian style. Full of false & fanciful accusations aimed at the domestic MAGA audience. No recognition of one of the greatest organizations in the world that led the eradication of smallpox, and made great strides A sad day for the US and the world. Kul   

As international agencies lose government funding in the face of rising needs and costs, will more agencies face issues of corporate influence?  Could UNICEF?   Tom T Perkins · The Guardian Click here for the article Summary A new report reveals that the World Health Organization Foundation has increasingly relied on corporate “dark money” donations since its launch in 2020, raising concerns about transparency and undue influence.

Tedros says 400 WHO jobs phased out By Paula Dupraz-Dobias – Geneva Solutions Click here for the article. 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.

Twitter post WHO ’s staff residence in Deir al Balah, #Gaza, was attacked three times today as well as its main warehouse.   Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint. 

Twitter post shared by Kul Gautam Sad to see the US rejection of the amendments to the International Health Regulations agreed by all WHO member states by consensus - with full participation of the previous US administration - based on Trumped-up allegations by RFK.

Editor's Note: Article includes many useful charts including relocation of functions plans, strategic directions, etc.  

Shared by Sharif Alam Click here for the article Summary   Saima Wazed, the newly appointed WHO Regional Director for South East Asia (SEARO), has been placed on indefinite leave by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as of Friday, July 11, 2025. This decision follows months of mounting pressure after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed charges against her in March for alleged fraud, forgery, and abuse of power. The allegations include misrepresenting her academic credentials during her campaign, particularly claiming to have held a teaching role at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, and improperly using her influence to secure $2.8 million in funding from the Ministry of Social Welfare for the Shuchona Foundation, where she serves as chairperson. Despite the gravity of the charges, WHO had initially defended Wazed’s appointment. However, the situation escalated when Bangladeshi courts issued a travel ban and an arrest warrant for her, ...

More than 30-year difference in life expectancy highlights health inequities

Article shared by Kul Gautam Dear Peter, Much appreciated your reflections on the future of global health minus dominant US leadership. Couldn't agree more with you that: "The golden age of global health as led by the United States is over. The rest of the world must now focus on building a healthier world that is less dependent on U.S. aid — and less susceptible to U.S. influence and disruption".

Article shared by Tom McDermott Click here for the article Summary The article reviews changes undertaken in the past 8 years by WHO under its Director-General Tedros, including over a hundred reforms aimed at improved transparency and efficiency. Despite these steps, experts, and staff believe the agency is "top heavy", over reliant on few donors, and generally not yet "fit for purpose".

Article shared by Niloufar Pourzand Click here for the article Summary ​The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to halve its Geneva headquarters' divisions from 10 to 5 and reduce directors from nearly 80 to about 30, aiming to address a $600 million budget shortfall for 2025. This restructuring responds to the U.S. withdrawal and other funding cuts, which have led to a projected $1.9 billion deficit for 2026–2027. The plan includes relocating certain departments to regional offices to cut costs and may reduce Geneva staff by over 40%, from 2,600 to around 1,400–1,500 employees. Quotes “But even these dramatic steps, informed observers say, will not be enough to generate the savings required to cover an expected $600 million budget deficit for 2025, along with a projected $1.9 billion gap for the upcoming budget biennium of 2026-2027 triggered by the United States’ withdrawal from the organisation in January.”​ “As of July 2024 there were nearly 80 directors (D1,D2) at WHO Headqu...

Article shared by John Gilmartin The lead editorial for this week's Lancet. Issued today John Click here for the article Summary The Lancet strongly criticizes Donald Trump's administration for implementing policies that significantly harm public health both in the United States and globally. It highlights key decisions such as the withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Agreement, the shutdown of USAID programs, and a freeze on $3 trillion in federal grants and loans, which jeopardized Medicaid and halted global health initiatives. Additionally, research institutions like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) faced severe restrictions, including stop-work orders and communications blackouts. This led to the suppression of health data, including the first non-publication of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in 60 years. The administration also restricted the use of certain terms ...

WHO comments on United States’ announcement of intent to withdraw The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization.

According to this article, three years after the last worldwide mpox outbreak, the WHO still has neither officially approved the vaccines — although the United States and Europe have — nor has it issued an emergency use license that would speed access. Bureaucratic approval processes in WHO have kept mpox vaccines from reaching the Democratic Republic of Congo and other affected countries, despite a global health emergency. WHO has not yet approved or issued emergency use licenses for mpox vaccines, which is necessary for UNICEF and Gavi to distribute them in low-income countries. WHO claims it lacked sufficient data for full approval and could only start the emergency license process after declaring a global health emergency. UNICEF, along with Gavi, requires WHO approval or emergency use license to buy and distribute mpox vaccines in low-income countries like Congo. Gavi, which helps facilitate immunizations in developing nations, has been waiting for WHO's emergency authorizat...

Remarks by Dr. Tedros Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, Today the WHO family is in mourning over the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague, Aidan O’Leary, the Director of the WHO Polio Eradication Programme. Aidan died suddenly last night from natural causes while on holiday with his family. He was an outstanding humanitarian who served tirelessly in the most difficult parts of the world. He joined WHO in 2020, after a career of service in the United Nations in some of the world’s most difficult places, including Afghanistan, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Yemen. He embodied the ideal of service and solidarity across peoples and borders. His passing is a terrible loss for WHO and for all of humanity, but most of all for his family and friends, in his native Ireland and throughout the world. On behalf of WHO, I extend my deepest condolences to them all. We will miss Aidan enormously, and we will remember him for his kindness, openness and friendliness. He was a g...

Excerpts: "On June 1, in the nail-biting final hours of the annual World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva, states agreed to a robust package of amendments to the World Health Organization’s 2005 International Health Regulations ." ".... the new regulations enhance transparency and the timeliness of information about important public health events. They also provide for a new “pandemic emergency” alert, aiming to prepare countries for an imminent threat before it’s too late to contain. Crucially, they also oblige countries to collaborate so that medicines, diagnostics and vaccines have a better chance of reaching people who need them the most, wherever they may be." Click here for  the article in The Conversation Click here for article in Think Global Health Click here for WHO announcement

"If there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic taught us, it’s that we weren’t ready for it. If there’s another hard lesson we learned, it’s that getting everyone to agree on how to respond to a pandemic was seemingly impossible. 

IHR Working Group Co-Chairs and WHO DG The Working Group on the International Health Regulations (IHR) , which aimed to clear the way for an agreement on global pandemic preparedness, faced a significant setback this week.