The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it has secured nearly $700 million in new funding, along with $300 million in reaffirmed pledges, during a financing summit in Berlin.
This funding comes as part of a new financing mechanism launched in May, aimed at raising billions of dollars for the UN agency’s budget through to 2028. The initiative seeks to ensure funds are available more swiftly and flexibly to save millions of lives.
“We know that we are making this ask at a time of competing priorities and limited resources. That’s why I have asked every Member State and every partner to step up. Every contribution counts,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz committed nearly $400 million to the WHO over the next four years, which includes more than $260 million in new voluntary contributions. Scholz highlighted the importance of WHO’s work, stating that the organisation needs “sustainable financing that provides the certainty to plan ahead and the flexibility to respond.”
Additional pledges were made by several other countries and organisations, including contributions from 16 African nations.
The WHO has traditionally relied on contributions from its 194 member states, but these often come with conditions and are tied to specific projects, sometimes with restrictive deadlines. The new financing mechanism aims to raise $7 billion towards WHO’s $11.1 billion budget over the next four years.
The WHO will seek further pledges at the upcoming G20 summit in Brazil in November.