WHO Receives $1 Billion Pledge, Tedros Warns

At a major event in Berlin, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the encouraging news that it has received pledges worth $700 million to support its budget from 2025 to 2028, in addition to the $300 million already committed by the European Union and the African Union. The news was revealed during a speech by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO highlighted the serious challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses to global health and security, noting that investing in WHO is not just an investment in health, It is an investment in building a more equitable, stable and secure socio-economic system.

In his remarks, Director-General Tedros noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of health issues to global security and prosperity, so support and investment in WHO is critical. He stressed that a healthy global population is the cornerstone of social and economic development, and that WHO has an integral role to play in this process.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who also spoke at the event, announced that Germany would provide at least 360 million euros ($392.47 million) in financial support, noting that it would be better to spread the responsibility and burden across more countries. Prime Minister Scholz also stressed that every support, no matter how large or small, is valuable and has important significance for global health.

Two years ago, the WHO's member states agreed to a radical overhaul of the organization's funding model, which was criticized as "fundamentally rotten" because of its excessive reliance on irregular donations from donors. Under the new agreement, WHO's mandatory costs should increase from 16% in recent years to 50% of its budget by 2030-2031, which will help ensure that the organization has a more stable and predictable source of funding to better fulfill its mandate in the field of global health. This reform is essential for the long-term sustainability of WHO and for global public health security.