The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, yesterday regretted the withdrawal of the United States of America from the organization.

"We regret this decision and hope that the United States will reconsider it," he said at the opening of a meeting of the WHO Executive Board in Geneva, Switzerland.

Meanwhile, in a document released on Monday, the WHO said that the meeting, which will run until February 11, will address budget readjustments, foreseeing cuts of 400 million dollars.

The executive council proposes cutting the basic programs section of the budget from a proposed 5.3 billion dollars to 4.9 billion dollars.

Ghebreyesus said the agency intends to significantly reduce travel expenses and stop recruitment as part of a series of cost-saving measures.

The United States took steps to leave the WHO during Donald Trump's first term in 2020, but his successor, Joe Biden, put an end to the process before the actual withdrawal.

Trump resumed the process after his recent inauguration on January 20. He justified this by claiming that the agency had handled the Covid-19 pandemic and other international health crises badly.

Trump even accused the WHO of "ripping off" the United States, the organization's main donor, which accounts for 18% of the organization's budget. The withdrawal is due to take effect on January 22, 2026.