WHO officials, donors, and diplomats will meet in Geneva from Monday facing a major challenge: how to manage global health crises amid a significant funding shortfall caused by the U.S. decision to withdraw.
The annual World Health Organization assembly usually highlights the agency’s work combating disease outbreaks, approving vaccines, and supporting health systems worldwide. However, this year’s focus is on downsizing following the U.S. announcement to leave the WHO, which has created a $600 million funding gap.
The U.S. had contributed about 18% of the WHO’s budget, and its planned exit by January 2026 is prompting the agency to prioritize essential tasks such as vaccine approval and outbreak response, while cutting less critical programs and offices in wealthier countries. Staff reductions and budget cuts are already underway.
As the U.S. steps back, China is expected to become the largest state contributor, increasing its share from just over 15% to 20%. This shift is sparking calls for a broader reevaluation of the WHO’s structure and spending.
Alongside funding challenges, the assembly will address a historic agreement on pandemic preparedness and continue efforts to secure more donor contributions.
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The co-pilot of Israel bound flydubai flight attempted to carry out a “terrorist attack” with an axe during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday.
Hammam al-Hammami, the Flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday in a suspected terrorist attack, was banned from flying by Oman over concerns about his radical views, U.S. media reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Two Iranian nationals have been charged in Britain with preparing a suspected terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in northern England, police said on Friday (2 October).
A major bridge across the Dnipro river in Kyiv was hit in a Russian air attack on Saturday, the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko said, as strikes on the capital's infrastructure continue.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev warned against interference from outside actors in remarks at the 8th Congress of the New Azerbaijan Party in Baku on Friday 2 October.
Health advice now reaches people through social media, fitness apps, wearable technology and AI. From detoxes and protein-focused diets to skincare and fitness trends, online wellness content is shaping everyday health choices while raising concerns about misinformation and potential risks.
Global cholera deaths reached their highest annual level in more than 20 years in 2025, despite a decline in reported cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chinese researchers have developed the world’s smallest CT scanner, a portable device designed to produce images of tiny fossils and archaeological relics.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 17 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the field of health.
Doctors in St. Louis have successfully separated Ethiopian two-year-old twin girls who were born joined at the head after a months-long series of complex operations culminating in a nearly 25-hour final procedure, doctors said on Wednesday.
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