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Today, at the 75th World Health Assembly, Member States agreed to adopt a landmark decision to improve the World Health Organization's financing model.
The decision adopted, in full, the recommendations of a Sustainable Financing Working Group made up of WHO's Member States, which was set up in January 2021 and chaired by Björn Kümmel, from Germany.
In one of the key recommendations in the Working Group's report to the Health Assembly, Member States target a gradual increase of their assessed contributions (membership dues) to represent 50% of WHO's core budget by the 2030-2031 budget cycle, at the latest. In the last budget biennium, 2020-2021, assessed contributions represented only 16% of the approved programme budget.
The report includes other recommendations, such as exploring the feasibility of a replenishment mechanism to broaden the financing base. It also asks the WHO Secretariat to work with a Member States task group to strengthen WHO's governance, which will make recommendations on transparency, efficiency, accountability and compliance. The task group's work will help ensure that increases to Member States' assessed contributions will be accompanied by further reforms to the way the Organization operates.
WHO's current financing model has been identified by many experts as posing a risk to the integrity and independence of its work. WHO's over-reliance on voluntary contributions, with a large proportion earmarked for specific areas of work, results in an ongoing misalignment between organizational priorities and the ability to finance them. The recommendations today are designed to substantially address these shortcomings.
It is intended that the gradual increase to assessed contributions will start with WHO's 2024-25 budget, with a proposed 20% increase over the assessed contributions in the approved 2022-23 base budget. The aim is to reach 50% of WHO's budget by 2028-2029 if possible, and by 2030-31 at the latest, up from the current 16% in 2020-21. This would mean that by 2028-2029, WHO would see an increase of roughly US$ 600 million a year in the part of its income that comes from the most sustainable and predictable sources.
More predictable and sustainable funding for WHO makes economic sense for the Organization's contributors, with its new investment case 'A Healthy Return' showing that every US dollar invested in WHO delivers a return on investment of at least 35 US dollars. Sustainable financing will better equip WHO to deliver more effectively for all its Member States and their populations, for example through longer-term programming in countries and attracting and retaining expertise.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "This decision addresses head-on the decades-long challenge WHO has faced on predictable, flexible and sustainable funding. Delivering on the target they have agreed today will mean our Member States are empowering WHO to meet their expectations and truly fulfill our mandate as the world's leading global health authority." "Coming on the day I am re-elected, this decision gives all of us at WHO renewed confidence as we face the future," he added.
Björn Kümmel, deputy head of the global health division at Germany's Federal Ministry of Health and chair of WHO's Working Group on Sustainable Funding, said. "This decision is about nothing less than the future role of WHO in global health. Even beyond that, it is about what we envisage for the global health architecture: a less fragmented, better coordinated, more efficient and truly inclusive global health governance with a fundamentally strengthened WHO at its centre as the enabled leading and coordinating authority."
Today, at the 75th World Health Assembly, Member States agreed to adopt a landmark decision to improve the World Health Organization's financing model.
The decision adopted, in full, the recommendations of a Sustainable Financing Working Group made up of WHO's Member States, which was set up in January 2021 and chaired by Björn Kümmel, from Germany.
In one of the key recommendations in the Working Group's report to the Health Assembly, Member States target a gradual increase of their assessed contributions (membership dues) to represent 50% of WHO's core budget by the 2030-2031 budget cycle, at the latest. In the last budget biennium, 2020-2021, assessed contributions represented only 16% of the approved programme budget.
The report includes other recommendations, such as exploring the feasibility of a replenishment mechanism to broaden the financing base. It also asks the WHO Secretariat to work with a Member States task group to strengthen WHO's governance, which will make recommendations on transparency, efficiency, accountability and compliance. The task group's work will help ensure that increases to Member States' assessed contributions will be accompanied by further reforms to the way the Organization operates.
WHO's current financing model has been identified by many experts as posing a risk to the integrity and independence of its work. WHO's over-reliance on voluntary contributions, with a large proportion earmarked for specific areas of work, results in an ongoing misalignment between organizational priorities and the ability to finance them. The recommendations today are designed to substantially address these shortcomings.
It is intended that the gradual increase to assessed contributions will start with WHO's 2024-25 budget, with a proposed 20% increase over the assessed contributions in the approved 2022-23 base budget. The aim is to reach 50% of WHO's budget by 2028-2029 if possible, and by 2030-31 at the latest, up from the current 16% in 2020-21. This would mean that by 2028-2029, WHO would see an increase of roughly US$ 600 million a year in the part of its income that comes from the most sustainable and predictable sources.
More predictable and sustainable funding for WHO makes economic sense for the Organization's contributors, with its new investment case 'A Healthy Return' showing that every US dollar invested in WHO delivers a return on investment of at least 35 US dollars. Sustainable financing will better equip WHO to deliver more effectively for all its Member States and their populations, for example through longer-term programming in countries and attracting and retaining expertise.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "This decision addresses head-on the decades-long challenge WHO has faced on predictable, flexible and sustainable funding. Delivering on the target they have agreed today will mean our Member States are empowering WHO to meet their expectations and truly fulfill our mandate as the world's leading global health authority." "Coming on the day I am re-elected, this decision gives all of us at WHO renewed confidence as we face the future," he added.
Björn Kümmel, deputy head of the global health division at Germany's Federal Ministry of Health and chair of WHO's Working Group on Sustainable Funding, said. "This decision is about nothing less than the future role of WHO in global health. Even beyond that, it is about what we envisage for the global health architecture: a less fragmented, better coordinated, more efficient and truly inclusive global health governance with a fundamentally strengthened WHO at its centre as the enabled leading and coordinating authority."
New sustainable financing model
Following the re-election of Dr Tedros Adhanhom Ghebreysus as WHO Director-General, delegates at the World Health Assembly agreed a landmark decision on sustainable financing for WHO, adopting a series of recommendations from a Sustainable Financing Working Group made up of WHO Member States.
The recommendations aim to make WHO's funding more predictable and flexible, and less dependent on voluntary contributions. Amongst the recommendations is a request to the Secretariat to develop budget proposals for an increase in assessed contributions (membership dues) to 50% of WHO's core budget by 2030. In the last budget cycle, assessed contributions made up only 16% of the approved Programme Budget.
Other recommendations include that the Secretariat explores the feasibility of a replenishment mechanism to further broaden WHO's financing base and the establishment of a Member States task group on strengthening WHO budgetary, programmatic and financing governance to analyze challenges in governance for transparency, efficiency, accountability and compliance.
Related links
Sustainable financing of WHO: report of the Working Group (Document A75/9)
Working toward a sustainably financed WHO
Programme Budget revision approved
Delegates had previously approved a revised Programme Budget for WHO for the work of the biennium 2022-2023. The revision approved today reflects the rapidly changing health situation of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst other issues. The revised Programme Budget incorporates learnings and recommendations from a number of internal and external reviews, notably on the Secretariat's response to COVID-19.
The total estimated budget increase for the biennium 2022–2023 is US$ 604.4 million (a 13% increase over the earlier budget presented), bringing the total budget for WHO's work for 2022-2023 to US$ 4.968 billion. The previously approved 2020-2021 Programme Budget amounted to US$ 3.769 billion).
Delegates also agreed to extend the current Global Programme of Work to 2025, in light of the findings contained in WHO's Results Framework as well as the report presented by the Secretariat on operational efficiencies. The extension is designed to help WHO support countries' efforts to address disruptions to health services linked to the pandemic, recover from the pandemic and renew efforts to achieve the triple billion and Sustainable Development Goal targets .
This extension brings alignment between WHO's strategic planning cycle and that of the wider United Nations family.
Related links
Proposed revision to the Programme Budget 2022–2023 (Document A75/6)
WHO Programme Budget web portal
Working group on international health regulations (IHR) amendments
Delegates welcomed the final report of the Working Group on strengthening WHO preparedness and response to health emergencies which, among other things, proposed a process for taking forward potential amendments to the IHR (2005). They agreed to continue the group, with a revised mandate and name (the "Working Group on IHR amendments" (WGIHR)) to work exclusively on consideration of proposed IHR amendments. Member States also requested the Director-General to convene an IHR Review Committee to make technical recommendations on the proposed amendments that may be submitted. The Working Group will propose a package of targeted amendments for consideration by the Seventy-seventh Health Assembly.
Related links
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_9-en.pdf
- https://www.who.int/about/funding/sustainable-financing
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_7-en.pdf
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_6-en.pdf
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_7-en.pdf
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_8-en.pdf
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_8-en.pdf
- https://open.who.int/2020-21/home
- https://www.who.int/about/funding
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_17-en.pdf
New sustainable financing model
Following the re-election of Dr Tedros Adhanhom Ghebreysus as WHO Director-General, delegates at the World Health Assembly agreed a landmark decision on sustainable financing for WHO, adopting a series of recommendations from a Sustainable Financing Working Group made up of WHO Member States.
The recommendations aim to make WHO's funding more predictable and flexible, and less dependent on voluntary contributions. Amongst the recommendations is a request to the Secretariat to develop budget proposals for an increase in assessed contributions (membership dues) to 50% of WHO's core budget by 2030. In the last budget cycle, assessed contributions made up only 16% of the approved Programme Budget.
Other recommendations include that the Secretariat explores the feasibility of a replenishment mechanism to further broaden WHO's financing base and the establishment of a Member States task group on strengthening WHO budgetary, programmatic and financing governance to analyze challenges in governance for transparency, efficiency, accountability and compliance.
Related links
Sustainable financing of WHO: report of the Working Group (Document A75/9)
Working toward a sustainably financed WHO
Programme Budget revision approved
Delegates had previously approved a revised Programme Budget for WHO for the work of the biennium 2022-2023. The revision approved today reflects the rapidly changing health situation of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst other issues. The revised Programme Budget incorporates learnings and recommendations from a number of internal and external reviews, notably on the Secretariat's response to COVID-19.
The total estimated budget increase for the biennium 2022–2023 is US$ 604.4 million (a 13% increase over the earlier budget presented), bringing the total budget for WHO's work for 2022-2023 to US$ 4.968 billion. The previously approved 2020-2021 Programme Budget amounted to US$ 3.769 billion).
Delegates also agreed to extend the current Global Programme of Work to 2025, in light of the findings contained in WHO's Results Framework as well as the report presented by the Secretariat on operational efficiencies. The extension is designed to help WHO support countries' efforts to address disruptions to health services linked to the pandemic, recover from the pandemic and renew efforts to achieve the triple billion and Sustainable Development Goal targets .
This extension brings alignment between WHO's strategic planning cycle and that of the wider United Nations family.
Related links
Proposed revision to the Programme Budget 2022–2023 (Document A75/6)
WHO Programme Budget web portal
Working group on international health regulations (IHR) amendments
Delegates welcomed the final report of the Working Group on strengthening WHO preparedness and response to health emergencies which, among other things, proposed a process for taking forward potential amendments to the IHR (2005). They agreed to continue the group, with a revised mandate and name (the "Working Group on IHR amendments" (WGIHR)) to work exclusively on consideration of proposed IHR amendments. Member States also requested the Director-General to convene an IHR Review Committee to make technical recommendations on the proposed amendments that may be submitted. The Working Group will propose a package of targeted amendments for consideration by the Seventy-seventh Health Assembly.
Related links
Preparing cities and urban centres for emergencies
Concurring on the need for cities and urban settings to be better prepared to respond to health emergencies, delegates at the Seventy-Fifth World Health Assembly agreed a resolution calling for more action and resources in these unique settings.
Cities and local authorities have an important role in preventing, preparing for and responding to health emergencies, in part because cities can be uniquely vulnerable, due to population density, the movement of people in and out, and the vulnerability of some communities themselves.
The resolution called for better funding, planning, cooperation across regions and between cities, and a better overall understanding and focus on unique issues faced by people living in these areas.
Improving the quality, efficiency and capacity of clinical trials
Delegates also passed a resolution for improving clinical trial capabilities in all countries, as a central aspect of strengthening countries' health systems.
Clinical trials have been recognized as indispensable for generating high-quality evidence on the safety and efficacy of medicines, vaccines and other health interventions, which is critical for informing health policy and clinical practice.
The resolution calls for greater efficiency, funding, timely data and results sharing, improved public-private collaboration and better coordination as well as for stronger regulatory and ethical frameworks in countries.
During public health emergencies of international concern, the delegates called for greater speed and transparency in conducting and sharing the results of clinical trials, while safeguarding the well-being of trial participants.
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_ACONF2-en.pdf
- https://www.who.int/health-topics/urban-health
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_ACONF9-en.pdf
- https://www.who.int/health-topics/clinical-trials
Preparing cities and urban centres for emergencies
Concurring on the need for cities and urban settings to be better prepared to respond to health emergencies, delegates at the Seventy-Fifth World Health Assembly agreed a resolution calling for more action and resources in these unique settings.
Cities and local authorities have an important role in preventing, preparing for and responding to health emergencies, in part because cities can be uniquely vulnerable, due to population density, the movement of people in and out, and the vulnerability of some communities themselves.
The resolution called for better funding, planning, cooperation across regions and between cities, and a better overall understanding and focus on unique issues faced by people living in these areas.
Improving the quality, efficiency and capacity of clinical trials
Delegates also passed a resolution for improving clinical trial capabilities in all countries, as a central aspect of strengthening countries' health systems.
Clinical trials have been recognized as indispensable for generating high-quality evidence on the safety and efficacy of medicines, vaccines and other health interventions, which is critical for informing health policy and clinical practice.
The resolution calls for greater efficiency, funding, timely data and results sharing, improved public-private collaboration and better coordination as well as for stronger regulatory and ethical frameworks in countries.
During public health emergencies of international concern, the delegates called for greater speed and transparency in conducting and sharing the results of clinical trials, while safeguarding the well-being of trial participants.
Six prizes were presented to seven remarkable individuals and health institutions from across the globe, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to public health and development.
Six prizes were presented to seven remarkable individuals and health institutions from across the globe, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to public health and development.
Resolution on "Health emergency in Ukraine"
In a vote (with 88 yes, 12 no, 53 abstentions), delegates at the World Health Assembly agreed a resolution on the "Health emergency in Ukraine and refugee receiving and hosting countries, stemming from the Russian Federation's aggression".
Among other issues, the resolution brings attention to the direct and indirect health impacts in Ukraine, in the region and beyond; condemns attacks on health care, as documented by WHO's Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care; and urges the Russian Federation to immediately cease any attacks on hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care
Extension of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme
The Director-General renewed the mandate of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee (IOAC) for the World Health Organization for two years. The Committee was created in 2016 to provide oversight and monitoring of the development and performance of the WHO Emergencies Programme, and to guide the Programme's activities. It reports annually to the Health Assembly.
Delegates encouraged the Secretariat to adopt the recommendations in this year's report.
The Director- General thanked the co-chairs and members for their work over the past years, and welcomed Professor Walid Ammar, Director of the Doctorate and Research in Public Health Program at St. Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon, as the new Chair.
More on IOAC
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_ACONF6-en.pdf
- https://extranet.who.int/ssa/Index.aspx
- https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_16-en.pdf
- https://www.who.int/groups/independent-oversight-and-advisory-committee
Resolution on "Health emergency in Ukraine"
In a vote (with 88 yes, 12 no, 53 abstentions), delegates at the World Health Assembly agreed a resolution on the "Health emergency in Ukraine and refugee receiving and hosting countries, stemming from the Russian Federation's aggression".
Among other issues, the resolution brings attention to the direct and indirect health impacts in Ukraine, in the region and beyond; condemns attacks on health care, as documented by WHO's Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care; and urges the Russian Federation to immediately cease any attacks on hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care
Extension of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme
The Director-General renewed the mandate of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee (IOAC) for the World Health Organization for two years. The Committee was created in 2016 to provide oversight and monitoring of the development and performance of the WHO Emergencies Programme, and to guide the Programme's activities. It reports annually to the Health Assembly.
Delegates encouraged the Secretariat to adopt the recommendations in this year's report.
The Director- General thanked the co-chairs and members for their work over the past years, and welcomed Professor Walid Ammar, Director of the Doctorate and Research in Public Health Program at St. Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon, as the new Chair.
More on IOAC
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