Halt Payments to WHO for Unconscionable Discrimination Against Men

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Henry Herrera

Telephone: +1-301-801-0608

Halt Payments to WHO for Unconscionable Discrimination Against Men

April 6, 2026 – On a broad range of measures, the health of men lags behind the health of women. Globally, men face a lifespan gender gap of five years (1), endure suicide rates that are three times higher (2), and face 15 times the number of occupational deaths (3).

Many are unaware that premature male mortality has a range of well-documented effects on the well-being of women, as well:

Emotional and psychological trauma from bereavement (4).
Increased burdens of daily living (5).
Higher out-of-pocket medical expenditures (6).
Elevated poverty risk (7).
Three times greater risk of being admitted to a nursing home (8).
48% greater risk of widowhood mortality (9).

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets forth the principle of equal rights for men and women: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, [and] sex.” (10)

But for years, World Health Organization (WHO) officials have casually dismissed this foundational human rights principle.

WHO’s women’s health programs “are supported by global norms, evidence-based guidelines, technical assistance to countries, and monitoring frameworks…women’s health receives dedicated global departmental focus, multiple elimination strategies, and substantial resource allocation.” (11) But men’s health enjoys none of these benefits.

A search of the WHO’s Health Topics page on women’s health reveals numerous news items, publications, feature stories, infographics, videos, and more. (12) In contrast, the WHO website does not list a single page on men’s health. (13)

In 2001, the WHO issued a report titled, “Putting Women First: Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Research on Domestic Violence against Women” (14). The first three words of the document’s title quickly dispel of any notions of gender equality at the World Health Organization: “Putting Women First.”

Accordingly, the WHO conducted a 10-country survey on domestic violence against women, but has failed to conduct a single study on domestic violence against men.

Overall, the sex bias is so pronounced as to create the impression of treating men like second-class citizens. (15)

The UN Human Rights Council has affirmed that the most fundamental right is the right to life (16). So the World Health Organization’s neglect of the lifespan gender gap of half the world’s population must count as an egregious violation of men’s human rights.

On January 20, the United States withdrew its membership from the World Health Organization, thereby ending its financial support of the organization. Two months later, Argentina followed suit.

Now, the Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance calls on all other countries to refuse to support the WHO’s unconscionable gender bias, and to suspend payment of their WHO dues until these biases are eliminated.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — unites 230 member organizations from 42 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. https://endtodv.org/coalitions/davia/

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