Global leaders have pledged at least an additional $170 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO), amid rising global health challenges.
The pledges were made at a high-level pledging event, Tuesday, at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, where leaders reaffirmed their support for multilateral cooperation through these contributions to WHO’s Investment Round (IR).
The IR is raising funds for WHO’s strategy for global health, the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, which can save an additional 40 million lives over the next four years.
The pledges represented significant contributions from both governments and philanthropic partners.
Member states approved an increase in assessed contributions, adding a separate $90 million a year of income, and marking another important step on WHO’s journey towards sustainable financing.
‘I am grateful to every member state and partner that has pledged towards the investment round. In a challenging climate for global health, these funds will help us to preserve and extend our life-saving work. They show that multilateralism is alive and well’, said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The meeting featured pledges from Angola, Cambodia, China, Gabon, Mongolia, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, ELMA Philanthropies (with the WHO Foundation), Fondation Botnar, Laerdal Global Health (with the WHO Foundation), the Nippon Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation announced an additional US$ 13 million and committed to further increases in funding.
Among the announcements, at least $170 million is for the Investment Round – the funding supports WHO’s base budget from 2025–2028.
