By Peter Kenny
GENEVA (AA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) launched an “Investment Case” on Tuesday, seeking $11.1 billion in financing for the organization's next four years of operations, which include increasing health access to more than 150 million people.
The WHO said its investment bid is more than just a financial endeavor but a global health strategy aimed at saving 40 million lives and significantly improving the health of 6 billion people.
During the launch event at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, the WHO announced that it has received support and funding commitments from several countries as well as the European Union, demonstrating the global importance of the initiative.
"More than half of the world's population is not fully covered by one or more essential health services, and 2 billion people face financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health spending," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus when introducing the innovation.
“Vaccines can now prevent more than 30 deadly diseases, and the list keeps growing. Forty-two countries have eliminated malaria, and the human immunodeficiency virus and tuberculosis epidemics have been pushed back.”
In the past 20 years alone, Tedros said smoking prevalence and maternal mortality have both fallen by a third, while child mortality has more than halved.
He said a strong and sustainably financed WHO is essential for the world to address multiple health threats.
WHO stated that it needs predictable and sustainable financing to carry out its strategy.
It said contributions would cover $4 billion of this budget, but the WHO needs to fund the remaining $7.1 billion through voluntary contributions.
- Achievements highlighted
The statement also emphasized WHO's significant achievements in women's health, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and infectious disease elimination, demonstrating the organization's track record and capability.
“WHO’s strategy for global health, the General Program of Work, approved on Tuesday, calls for deep collaboration with Member States and partners across a wide domain of health needs in a time of climate change, geopolitical turbulence, mass migration, and other complex challenges,” said the statement.
The strategy for 2025-2028 is based on the WHO's pledge to promote, provide, and protect health, and the investment case outlines activities for the next four years.
“These include bringing solar electrification to 10,000 health facilities to make them fully functional; supporting 55 countries in educating and employing 3.2 million health workers; increasing the number of vaccines delivered to priority countries,” it said.
It also aims to provide access to health services to more than 150 million people in humanitarian settings in 30 countries and help 84 countries reach targets for eliminating malaria, mother-to-child HIV transmission, and other diseases.
The WHO said it will focus on detecting and responding to 30 health threats per month, improving access to timely and reliable health data, and prequalifying 400 health products per year.