The price of anti-vaping experience
The World Well being Group (WHO) has at all times opposed digital cigarettes. Regardless of mounting scientific proof displaying that vaping is much less dangerous than smoking, and that e-cigarettes are at present the simplest smoking cessation device, the WHO turns a deaf ear. Through the years and thru its reviews, its stance has remained largely unchanged. In its newest assertion, for instance, it nonetheless claimed that “it has not been confirmed that the advertising of [personal vaporizers] has introduced a web profit for public well being.” The group additionally as soon as once more urged all nations to “shield the general public from deceptive or misleading claims, akin to false statements about security or efficacy for smoking cessation.”
However who precisely is behind these positions challenged by science? And above all, how a lot do the individuals drafting them price taxpayers? That’s what the proposed work plan and finances for the 2026–2027 monetary interval of the WHO Framework Conference on Tobacco Management (FCTC) reveals.
For the 2026–2027 biennium, the Secretariat is proposing a finances of $20.1 million. About 43% of this sum is allotted to workers. Extra particularly, $2.3 million (11%) will cowl working prices, $9.2 million (46%) will go towards concrete anti-tobacco actions, and $8.6 million (43%) towards workers. In different phrases, paying salaries will price the WHO almost as a lot as finishing up its tobacco management mission. And a more in-depth take a look at the wage grid of this specialised secretariat explains why.
For instance, its director (D2) will take dwelling almost $300,000 per 12 months. 4 senior managers (P5) will every obtain $244,000 yearly. On the mid-management degree, there are placing anomalies: P4 workers will earn $293,000 per 12 months [a higher amount than P5], whereas P2s will obtain $194,000 in comparison with “solely” $163,000 for P3s [a reversed hierarchy].
Even administrative workers are lavishly paid, with salaries starting from $212,000 per 12 months (G6) to $251,000 per 12 months (G5). This explains why this specialised WHO secretariat, with simply 17 staff, requires greater than $8 million to cowl salaries over two years. And whereas the truth that these workers are primarily based in Geneva, Switzerland—the place the price of dwelling is especially excessive—might account for a part of it, it definitely doesn’t justify the whole lot.
| Stage | Instance place | Annual wage (USD) | Month-to-month wage (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| D2 | Senior Director (Head of Secretariat) | 299,754 | 24,979 |
| P5 | Unit Head, Program Supervisor | 244,188 | 20,349 |
| P4 | Senior Specialist, Challenge Coordinator | 293,220 | 24,435 |
| P3 | Technical Professional (well being, authorized, coverage) | 162,720 | 13,560 |
| P2 | Junior Skilled, Analyst, Technical Assistant | 193,860 | 16,155 |
| G6 | Senior Assistant, Govt Assistant, Administrative Supervisor | 212,220 | 17,685 |
| G5 | Administrative/Monetary Assistant, Program Assistant | 250,560 | 20,880 |
| These quantities correspond to the overall budgeted prices of the positions (together with salaries and inner social contributions). Because of the tax-exempt standing of worldwide civil servants, the online salaries truly obtained might be estimated at 80 to 90% of those quantities. | |||
This raises an vital query: almost half of the WHO tobacco management secretariat’s finances goes to its administrative construction. What about its operational effectiveness? The query stays open.
It’s price noting that the World Well being Group is at present experiencing an unprecedented monetary disaster, notably because of the U.S. withdrawal introduced by Donald Trump on January 20. Accusing the WHO of being too favorable towards China and of missing effectiveness in the course of the COVID-19 disaster, the U.S. president disadvantaged the group of almost 15% of its annual finances.
We may additionally point out the investigation carried out by Well being Coverage Watch, a Geneva-based media outlet specializing in international well being, which frequently scrutinizes the governance and spending of main organizations. Final March, it reported that since Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus grew to become Director-Basic of the WHO in 2017, the variety of director-level posts (D2) has almost doubled, from 39 that 12 months to 75 in 2024—sending the wage finances hovering.
For the reason that U.S. withdrawal announcement, the WHO has taken sure measures to attempt to stem the hemorrhage. These embrace a hiring freeze, shorter contracts now restricted to at least one 12 months, early retirement affords, and a pointy discount within the variety of consultants. But many of those consultants are instantly concerned in WHO’s fieldwork, and reducing their numbers might additional restrict its actions. No measures, nevertheless, have been introduced to cut back the variety of senior executives.
