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In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), 14 African nations and numerous partners committed more than $45 million to the WHO’s inaugural Investment Round.
This three-month-old initiative seeks to secure sustainable funding for the WHO. The funds will be utilised to gather consistent and adaptable resources necessary for the organisation’s core activities over the next four years.
Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania were among the countries who made the pledge.
Many partners offered support to WHO. The list included the Helmsley Charitable Trust, World Diabetes Foundation, Roche, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, African Development Bank and the WHO Foundation.
The commitments were made during the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa held during August 26-30, 2024, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The health forum is held annually in Africa to discuss and agree on measures to address health challenges and promote people’s well-being.
Key agenda items included a focus on mitigating high rates of child mortality. Polio and cervical cancer also received special attention in the meeting. For polio, the aim was to reinforce commitments and strategise to achieve complete eradication; for cervical cancer, a special side event highlighted the need to prioritise prevention through human papillomavirus vaccination and screening.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, thanked the African region member states for their support during the Investment Round, underscoring that an “investment in WHO is an investment in Health for All”.
“Full, sustainable funding will enable WHO to support countries better in their work to build healthier, more resilient and more prosperous populations,” he added.
WHO on May 28, 2024 had launched the All for health, health for all: Investment case 2025-2028. The investment case laid out the organisation's contribution to global health and sought investment in its 2025-28 strategy to save 40 million lives and improve the health of six billion people.
The investment case highlighted WHO's Investment Round, which commenced on May 26, 2024. With the Investment Round, WHO is not asking for more funds but voluntary contributions in advance of the four-year strategy to ensure that it can be fully implemented.
The contributions from member states only partially cover the expenses of WHO's sanctioned activities, and the Investment Round aims to raise funds to bridge a $7.1 billion shortfall, the organisation noted.
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, expressed hope with the initiative and said, “Strong, predictable and sustainably financed WHO is essential for our region and the world to meet the multiple health threats we face; and support the prevention of disease based on the vast evidence at our disposal”.
With a fully and sustainably funded operating budget over the next four years, it is hoped that WHO would be better able to tackle emergencies and outbreaks that threaten lives and jeopardise global health security.
The fund would go a long way in reducing the burden of both infectious and non-communicable diseases and improve the health and well-being of everyone, especially the most vulnerable.