The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an appeal for one billion dollars in contributions to address health emergencies and support essential health services in more than 35 countries in 2026. This amount represents a decrease compared to the 1.5 billion dollars requested in 2025, of which only 900 million were received.
The funding will support health responses in 36 emergency settings worldwide, including Gaza and the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and Myanmar. The announcement was made in Geneva by the Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, Chikwe Ihekweazu, during a press briefing.
According to Mr. Ihekweazu, the downward revision reflects global budgetary constraints and the resources realistically available, despite the scale of ongoing humanitarian needs.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that many governments are facing growing financial pressures and a shift in political focus toward domestic priorities. He nevertheless stressed the need for flexible funding to sustain life-saving health services, prevent disease outbreaks and support populations living in the most challenging contexts.
In 2025, WHO responded to 50 health emergencies across 82 countries, assisting more than 30 million people. The organization supported over 8,000 health facilities, deployed around 1,500 mobile clinics, and coordinated the work of 1,500 partners as well as more than 100 international emergency medical teams.
Real-time surveillance also enabled the detection and containment of more than 450 public health threats.
WHO warned, however, that cuts in global health funding have led to the closure or reduction of activities in 6,700 health centers across some 20 humanitarian settings, depriving 53 million people of care. Meanwhile, nearly 250 million people are currently living in humanitarian crisis situations without adequate access to health services.
The UN agency acknowledged that the past year has been among the most challenging in its history, notably due to the announced withdrawal of the United States and declining support from several countries for international aid, even though Washington was not among the main contributors to funding health emergency responses.
