The World Health Organization announced it had received pledges of $700 million for its 2025-2028 budget at an event in Berlin on Monday, on top of the $300 million already pledged by the European and African Union.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that when health is at risk, everything is at risk,” WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said at the event. “Investments in WHO are therefore investments not only in protecting and promoting health, but also in fairer, more stable and safer societies and economies.”
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Germany said it would provide at least 360 million euros ($392.47 million). It and the United States are the biggest donor countries to the Geneva-based agency. “Recently, only a handful of countries provided large amounts of funding,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “It would be better for us to spread the responsibility on many more shoulders.”
“Every contribution counts – no matter how small.” WHO members agreed two years ago to overhaul its funding model, which has been described as “fundamentally fragile” because of its excessive reliance on the whims of donors.
What does the agreement mean and what is the mission of the World Health Organization
The deal means compulsory fees will have to rise to as much as 50% of the budget by 2030-2031 from just 16% in recent years.
Representing 194 countries, WHO has a unique reach and mandate to act as the guiding force in global health, bringing together scientific knowledge and leadership, national decision-makers and health partners.
But to succeed, WHO must be equipped to be flexible, reliable and effective. This is why WHO Member States have decided to invest in the organization and support WHO’s historic first investment round. WHO’s work is expected to save more than 40 million lives. It recently completed the first phase of vaccinating children in Gaza against polio.
Sources: Reuters, WHO
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