The WHO has to close a billion-dollar gap. Can private funding help? 

The World Health Organization must find some $1.7 billion to finance its 2026 budget. Private funding is one solution but it comes with caveats. Facing an unprecedented financial squeeze, primarily due to American President Donald Trump's inaugural day decision to exit the organisation, the WHO has implemented a series of cost-cutting measures, including reductions in senior-level staff, shrinking the global body's footprint, and recruitment freezes, to relieve some of the pressure. As for the most recent cuts, the number of Assistant Directors-General posts have been reduced from 12 to 6, and the number of departmental directors at headquarters in Geneva have been cut from over 70 to 36. However, budget and staffing cuts alone cannot fill the WHO's chronic and ever widening funding gap, potentially driving the organisation to increase its reliance on private and corporate donors. These donors have their unique political and commercial interests that may deviate from the WHO's core ...