WHO Secures $1 Billion for Global Health Initiatives

The World Health Organization (WHO) received a significant boost with nearly $1 billion in new and reaffirmed funding commitments announced at the WHO Investment Round event held at the World Health Summit in Berlin.

The WHO reported approximately $700 million in new pledges from European countries, foundations, and global health partners, along with an additional $300 million in reaffirmed commitments.

This first Investment Round aims to support WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (2025-2028), a strategy approved by WHO’s 194 member states to improve global health outcomes. The funding drive seeks to provide WHO with the predictable and adaptable resources necessary for sustainable health partnerships worldwide.

“The WHO’s work benefits us all,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who announced that Germany would commit almost $400 million to the WHO over the next four years, with over $260 million in new funding. “What it needs for this work is sustainable financing that gives it the certainty to plan ahead and the flexibility to react.”

Other high-profile commitments came from foundations and global organizations, including a $50 million pledge from Wellcome and $10 million each from the Institute for Philanthropy, Resolve to Save Lives, and the World Diabetes Foundation. Additional support came from the WHO Foundation and industry giants Boehringer Ingelheim and Novo Nordisk, pledging over $30 million.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, expressed gratitude for the support, noting, “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.”

This event in Berlin, co-hosted by Germany, France, and Norway, represents a key milestone ahead of the upcoming G20 Summit in Brazil, where global leaders will have another opportunity to pledge additional resources for WHO’s health equity goals.