Switzerland gave $40 million, Qatar gave $6 million, Sweden gave $13.5 million and Angola gave $8 million.
Global leaders attending the ongoing World Health Assembly in Geneva have pledged an additional 170 million dollars as a donation to the World Health Organisation.
The organisation announced in a press statement released last evening that the investment round is raising funds for the strategy, which can save an additional 40 million lives over the next four years and that the pledges made were contributions from both governments and philanthropic partners.
“I am grateful to every Member State and partner that has pledged towards the investment round. In a challenging climate for global health, these funds will help us to preserve and extend our life-saving work,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “They show that multilateralism is alive and well.”
Until now, the United States has been the top most donor to the World Health Organisation and its exit from WHO first announced by President Donald Trump in January had created fear that this move would cripple the organisation’s work of addressing global health.
At the pledging event, WHO reports that both long-standing allies and new contributors made contributions. The pledges came from Angola, Cambodia, China, Gabon, Mongolia, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, The ELMA Vaccines and Immunization Foundation, Fondation Botnar, Laerdal Global Health , the Nippon Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation announced an additional US$ 13 million and committed to further increases in funding.
Switzerland gave $40 million, Qatar gave $6 million, Sweden gave $13.5 million, and Angola gave $8 million.
Among the announcements, at least US$ 170 million is for the Investment Round, meaning that the funding supports the organisation’s base budget from 2025 to 2028. Eight of the donors included a flexible contribution to WHO, the most valuable sort of funding, and four were first time donors.
WHO’s fundraising reach has also been extended through individual giving. Through the One World Movement, almost 8000 people from across the world have signed on as ‘Member Citizens’, contributing almost US$ 600 000 in donations.
The event’s speakers emphasized not only the need for continued investment, but the strategic value of flexible and diversified financing to keep WHO responsive, country-focused, and aligned with national health priorities – as it evolves into a leaner, more agile institution.
However, WHO noted that they were still calculating country specific donations. The announcement did not include China’s contribution of 500 million dollars announced earlier.
