New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its first investment round to sustainably finance its Health for All mandate. The move comes as the organization seeks to transform the way it is funded by 2028.
The investment round is part of a broader plan to reform the WHO’s funding architecture and make it more sustainable amid an era of climate change, mass migration, pandemics, an ageing world population, and turbulent geopolitics. The high-level event, which was held alongside the G20, will help member states and donors declare their support for the strategy and make commitments.
The event is expected to culminate in a major pledging event in November, hosted by Brazil around the G20 Leaders’ Summit. “It’s about ensuring WHO is fully funded and improving the quality of the funding we receive. Much of the funding we receive is unpredictable, reactive, and tightly defined,” Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, opening the high-level event.
The WHO’s third investment case, which is estimated to cost $4.3 billion, aims to save 40 million lives from 2025-2028. The high-level support for the investment round was announced by representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States.