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In response to President Trump’s announcement that the United States would leave the World Health Organization, the agency has told its staff that it would freeze hires, “except in the most critical fields,” said Travel and restricted its assistance missions to countries.

In an email addressed to WHO personnel on Thursday, the director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he regretted the American decision, which also rendered the “more serious” WHO.

“We know that this has created considerable concern and uncertainty for WHO staff,” wrote Tedros. “We want to explain the measures we take to mitigate the risks we face and protect the work of our organization.”

He said all future meetings would be virtual “by default” and that WHO would considerably reduce travel. The United Nations previously spent hundreds of millions of millions of millions of millions; In 2017, the Associated Press discovered that WHO spent more on travel than the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

In Thursday’s email, Tedros also said that WHO was joining recruitment, limited the replacement of computer equipment and mainly suspended the renovations and enlargements of the offices.

In 2023, the United States contributed 18 % to the WHO budget, making it the biggest donor that year.