Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

WHO boss saddened by US absence

WHO boss "saddened" by US absence
WHO boss "saddened" by US absence Keystone-SDA

The United States remains a member of the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) until January, but it is already suspending its commitment to the institution. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the American "absence" on the executive board since last week makes him "sad".

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

“It was sad to see them participating less this week,” he said in his speech at the end of the work of the body to which 34 countries belong, including the US and Switzerland. “We all felt their absence,” he added.

He reiterated his hope that US President Donald Trump would reconsider his decision to withdraw his country from the organisation, which will take effect in almost a year’s time. He also repeated his offer of dialogue with the American authorities.

+ Foreign aid cuts: where does Switzerland stand?

A week ago, Tedros defended his organisation in the face of US reproaches. He said he was open to any suggestions, from the US and the 193 other members, for further reform.

In view of the announced withdrawal of the United States, which accounts for around 18% of the organisation’s membership, Tedros has already frozen all hiring, except in emergency situations, and taken other preventive measures. Additional efforts are to be expected, he warned in an email to employees.

For its part, Switzerland deplored a few days ago the already observable effects of the US decision. These include the departure of American emergency specialists and the freezing of contracts, activities and equipment in certain countries.

+ Switzerland concerned about impact of US withdrawal from WHO

The executive board validated the scenario of a 20% increase in compulsory contributions from member states in the 2026-2027 budget. This recommendation will have to be approved next May by all member countries at the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

Translated from French by DeepL/ts

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Diccon Bewes

More

Swiss-British author Diccon Bewes dead at 57

This content was published on The author of the bestseller Swiss Watching and former member of SWI swissinfo.ch's Public Council, Diccon Bewes, died on March 11 after a battle with cancer.

Read more: Swiss-British author Diccon Bewes dead at 57
Bernese anti-separatists celebrate the vote of 16 March 1975

More

Anti-separatists in Bernese Jura mark 50th anniversary of crucial vote

This content was published on Anti-separatist circles celebrated in Tramelan (BE) on Saturday the 50th anniversary of the vote of 16 March 1975 in which the population of the Bernese Jura chose to remain part of the Bernese Confederation. The theme of the jubilee was the identity of the Bernese Jura after Moutier's departure.

Read more: Anti-separatists in Bernese Jura mark 50th anniversary of crucial vote
237 Swiss companies with CO2 reduction targets

More

Over 200 Swiss firms sign up to CO2 reduction targets

This content was published on To date, 237 companies from Switzerland have joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), committing to CO2 reduction targets in line with the Paris Accord.

Read more: Over 200 Swiss firms sign up to CO2 reduction targets

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR