The pledging event comes amid renewed urgency to establish sustainable and predictable financing for WHO. Just hours before the pledging session, Member States approved a 20 per cent increase in assessed contributions, the annual membership dues paid by governments.

In a significant show of global solidarity, leaders from across the world pledged at least US$170 million in new funds to the World Health Organisation (WHO) during a high-level pledging event at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78) in Geneva on Tuesday. The commitments mark a key milestone in WHO’s ongoing Investment Round (IR), a critical drive to secure sustainable financing and strengthen the organisation’s capacity to respond to global health needs.

The fresh funds will go toward implementing WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14), the agency’s strategic plan for 2025–2028, which aims to save up to 40 million lives over the next four years. The pledging event, held in the context of growing global health demands, reinforced international support for multilateral health cooperation and WHO’s leadership in promoting health for all.

“I am grateful to every Member State and partner that has pledged towards the investment round,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “In a challenging climate for global health, these funds will help us to preserve and extend our life-saving work. They show that multilateralism is alive and well.”

A Broad and Diversified Donor Base

Tuesday’s pledging event featured commitments from a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including national governments, private philanthropies, and individual donors. Countries such as Angola, Cambodia, China, Gabon, Mongolia, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, and Tanzania made formal pledges, joined by philanthropic contributors including the ELMA Philanthropies, Fondation Botnar, Laerdal Global Health, the Nippon Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), which alone pledged an additional US$13 million.

Eight of the contributions were flexible, meaning they are not earmarked for specific programs — a form of funding WHO considers most valuable for its operational agility. Notably, four contributors were first-time donors, broadening WHO’s donor base and reducing its traditional over-reliance on a narrow group of funders.

In addition, nearly 8,000 individuals from around the globe have collectively donated almost US$600,000 to the WHO through the One World Movement, which invites people to become ‘Member Citizens’ with monthly contributions. This grassroots support underscores growing public commitment to global health equity and WHO’s mission.

Strategic Value in Sustainable Financing

The pledging event comes amid renewed urgency to establish sustainable and predictable financing for WHO. Just hours before the pledging session, Member States approved a 20 per cent increase in assessed contributions, the annual membership dues paid by governments. This move is expected to raise an additional US$90 million each year, boosting WHO’s base income and demonstrating strong political will for systemic reform.

This is the second consecutive 20 per cent increase, following a similar hike in the 2024–2025 budget. The latest approval confirms WHO’s 2026–2027 budget of US$4.2 billion, marking the first time a budget has been fully aligned with a General Programme of Work, in this case, GPW 14. The budget, however, is a trimmed-down version of the original US$5.3 billion plan, reduced due to financial constraints facing many member countries.

“Governments around the world are under fiscal pressure, and yet they have chosen to prioritise global health,” said Dr Tedros. “This is a profound vote of confidence in WHO and its role as the guardian of international public health.”

Reform and Resilience

Since the launch of WHO’s Transformation initiative in 2017, efforts have been underway to address structural challenges including unpredictable financing and an over-dependence on a handful of donors. In 2022, Member States agreed to gradually increase assessed contributions so they would comprise 50 per cent of WHO’s core budget by 2030–2031. For context, in 2020–2021, such contributions made up just 16 per cent of WHO’s approved programme budget.

The establishment of the WHO Foundation, the One World Movement, and now the Investment Round are all part of a wider strategy to diversify income sources, strengthen financial resilience, and better align WHO’s work with the health priorities of individual countries.

Moderated by Moazzam Malik, CEO of Save the Children UK, the pledging event highlighted the importance of flexible funding and agile financial planning to keep WHO responsive to emerging health threats. Speakers emphasised the need for a WHO that is not only adequately financed but also leaner, more agile, and more accountable.

A Defining Moment for Global Health Governance

The WHA78 is being hailed as a turning point in WHO’s journey toward financial independence and strategic transformation. The combination of increased assessed contributions and significant voluntary pledges sends a strong message: the international community remains committed to strengthening the world’s foremost health authority in a time of compounding global challenges.

“This moment is about more than just numbers,” said Malik during the event. “It’s about trust, vision, and the understanding that health is a global public good. The pledges we’ve seen today reflect a shared belief that we are one world, united in the mission of health for all.”