Countries Might Weigh Costs & Prioritize Items on WHO’s Agenda; Targets for Membership Fees at Risk Even as WHO Seeks 9% Hike for 2026-2027 Budget

Newsletter Edition #248 [The Files In-Depth]

Hi,

The need for efficiency in international development, runs like a motif across policy spheres. While this is crucial given taxpayer contributions at stake, some of this discussion is also undoubtedly political.

We parsed through some financing and budget documents that countries will discuss in the coming days at World Health Organization.

The U.S. administration’s decision to withdraw from WHO, has had a domino effect on how WHO member states run their business at the institution. We learned this week that fundamental questions are being raised on costing in light of new financial realities. Later this week, countries will kick off budget related discussions at WHO.

Thank you for reading.

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Illustration Credit: Amy Clarke, Chembe Collaborative

I. WHO FINANCING CRUNCH UPDATE

Countries Might Weigh Costs & Prioritize Items on WHO’s Agenda; Targets for Membership Fees at Risk Even as WHO Seeks 9% Hike for 2026-2027 Budget

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Barely a week after President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the U.S. from WHO, member states have to reckon with the cost implications of the resolutions that they are bringing to expand WHO’s mandate. Countries may even have to prioritize certain actions over others, diplomatic sources in Geneva say.

These deliberations will unfold this week, at the Programme Budget and Administration Committee of the WHO Executive Board (PBAC) that meets during January 29-January 31. The 13-member committee will make recommendations to the Executive Board that is scheduled to meet next week beginning February 3.

The PBAC and the 34-member EB, serve to decide on the agenda for the World Health Assembly and the resolutions to be considered by the Health Assembly in May every year.

In the meantime, WHO has also flagged concerns on the possibility that a previously negotiated and agreed target of increasing membership dues by 20% during 2026-2027 is at risk of not being met, following Trump’s decision, with potential knock-on effects for such increases in the future.

This story examines the potential gap in the assessed contributions or membership dues to WHO that are scheduled for an increase during the next budgetary period.

We also look at a budgetary proposal for the next biennium of 2026-2027 that is pegged at US$ 7.4 billion, an increase of 9% over the previous period.

The ask for a bigger envelope for its operations, assumes greater significance in light of the U.S. decision to withdraw from WHO. As things stand now, the U.S. will leave WHO on 22 January 2026, following a notice period of one year effective January 22, 2025. (The share of US funding of about US$706 million in the WHO financing, represents 10% of the approved budget for 2024-2025 of US$ 6.8 billion.)

As a consequence of these pressures, we review the choices that are reportedly being considered this week on costing and prioritizing resolutions.

The potential financial squeeze 2026 onwards is dire enough for countries to go back to the drawing board in some sense and review associated costs of implementing resolutions.

It is understood that the PBAC will consider various options this week, that may determine the fate of some resolutions, a diplomat told us. “It will be important to look more closely at the costing of such resolutions”, a developed country diplomat said.

Image Credit: Photo by Steve Johnson, Pexels