In a fresh injection into global health, European countries and some NGOs committed themselves to contributing almost €630 million, equivalent to $700 million to the World Health Organization (WHO). In the same breath, the WHO sought flexibility in its current financial distributions.
The largest contributions come from Germany, which has pledged close to €359 million ($400 million), out of which there is new money amounting to €235 million ($262.6 million). Norway has pledged €83.9 million; Luxembourg, €46.6 million; Denmark, €36.7 million; Ireland, €29.3 million; Greece, the Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, Malta, and Montenegro have also joined in additional support. It’s to accumulate to enhance WHO’s efforts in averting 40 million avoidable deaths in three waves of diseases within four years.
The WHO’s financial structure is divided into mandatory fees from the member states, calculated on the basis of gross domestic product (GDP), and voluntary contributions from governments, non-profits, and private entities. Traditionally, this money was spent on particular health programs, which sometimes left the organization unprepared to respond to changes in the urgency of other health crises that needed its attention.
Member countries agreed in a strategic move to step up their contributions to cover 50 percent of the WHO’s core budget by 2030 – from 13 percent in 2022. This contributes to establishing a more predictable and flexible funding stream that is integral for effective program implementation and for emergency response. Speaking of sustainable funding for the WHO, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “What it needs for this work is sustainable financing that gives it the certainty to plan ahead and the flexibility to react.”
Apart from the government contribution, other non-profits in global health that include Wellcome and Resolve to Save Lives all together commit to more than €116 million or $130 million. Additionally, pharmaceutical companies like Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Novo Nordisk pledged to take up activities of WHO.
As the WHO is getting ready to solicit additional commitments at the forthcoming G20 summit in Brazil, the Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took pains to concede that it’s not all smooth sailing due to competing priorities, noting that “every contribution counts” toward the collective fight against global health challenges.
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