WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Opening the WHO’s annual executive board meeting, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defended the agency’s work and recent reforms and reiterated a call for Washington to reconsider its exit and enter into dialogue with the agency on further change. He said he would welcome suggestions from the United States, and other members, on how WHO might serve the world better.

The agency is meeting in Geneva until next Tuesday, and representatives will discuss the budget cut and the agency's funding and work for the 2026-27 period. The executive board has proposed cutting the base programs section of the budget from 5.3 billion to 4.9 billion USD. That’s part of the 7.5 billion USD budget that was originally proposed for 2026-27, and includes money for polio eradication and tackling emergencies.