GENEVA: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed regret over President Donald Trump’s January 20 decision to begin the year-long withdrawal process.

Despite the US still holding a seat on the 34-member executive board, its involvement was minimal throughout the meeting. Board chair Jerome Walcott, Barbados’s health minister, acknowledged the challenges posed by the US departure as the gathering wrapped up.

The US exit has underscored the need for more reliable and flexible financing at the WHO, which has heavily relied on voluntary contributions in recent years. In a significant move, the board recommended a 20 percent hike in membership fees as part of a broader plan to ensure at least half of the organization’s budget is covered by such fees by 2030.

During the meeting, the board also re-adopted a resolution addressing health conditions in the Palestinian territories, outlining an estimated total cost of $648 million for implementation — including $275 million for emergency response and $265 million for early recovery and rehabilitation.

Other topics on the packed agenda included discussions on non-communicable diseases, mental health, skin diseases, environmental health, air pollution, the global health workforce, substandard medicines, maternal and newborn health, and strategies to achieve universal health coverage.