WHO spends more on travel than some major health initiatives, internal documents show
Around US$200 million a year spent on air tickets and accommodation, with some staff breaking budgeting rules by booking business class flights and five-star hotel rooms. Meanwhile, body complains it doesn’t have enough money to combat some of the world’s major crises
The World Health Organisation routinely spends about US$200 million a year on travel – far more than what it doles out to fight some of the biggest problems in public health including Aids, tuberculosis or malaria, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
As the cash-strapped UN health agency has pleaded for more money to fund its responses to health crises worldwide, it has also been struggling to get its own travel costs under control.
Despite introducing new rules to try to curb its expansive travel budget, senior officials have complained internally that employees are breaking the rules by booking perks like business class aeroplane tickets and rooms in five-star hotels.
The US$201 million annual average that the WHO spends on travel far outstrips what it reserves for some of its top programmes, although those budgets sometimes include certain travel costs.
Last year, WHO spent about US$71 million on Aids and hepatitis. On malaria, it spent US$61 million. And to slow tuberculosis, WHO invested US$59 million.
Still, some health programmes do get exceptional funding – the agency spends about US$450 million trying to wipe out polio every year.