WHO's Investment Round

 


 
This content was last updated on 27 May 2025.

 

To address important challenges faced in global health, WHO launched its first Investment Round: a new approach to mobilizing predictable and flexible resources from a broader base of donors for WHO’s core work for the next 4 years (2025–2028).
 

Context

The world faces severe inequities and inequalities in health, which were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half the world’s population is not fully covered by one or more essential health services, and 2 billion people face financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health spending.

At the centre of the world’s health architecture is the World Health Organization, which holds the mandate as the global coordinating authority for health. With 194 Member States, WHO brings a unique legitimacy, global footprint, and expertise, to empower countries and partners to improve health and well-being for all.

Key documents

 

What WHO will deliver 2025–2028

A blue pie chart divided into seven pieces, each naming a health area and the expected outcome of lives saved, counted in the millions. In the middle is a dark blue circle with the text ">40 million lives saved".

a Includes tobacco, alcohol, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet.
b Includes preparedness and prevention of high-threat outbreaks, including for example measles, yellow fever, meningitis and the risk of a pandemic event.

Through the recently approved WHO’s strategy for the next four years (2025–2028), the Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14), WHO will catalyze action to deliver results in the final push to the health-related SDGs, addressing global health challenges, setting the agenda on access and innovation, accelerating universal health coverage through a primary health approach, and better supporting countries in their differentiated needs based on the world’s best standards.

WHO’s unique infrastructure of data, country coordination and priority-setting provides the conditions for global and regional health partnerships to set and drive investment and progress. WHO will, over the next four years, save at least 40 million lives through concrete actions including:

  • increasing the number of vaccines delivered to priority countries;
     
  • providing access to health services to more than 150 million people in humanitarian settings in 30 countries;
     
  • bringing solar electrification to 10 000 health facilities;
     
  • supporting 55 countries in educating and employing 3.2 million health workers;
     
  • helping 84 countries reach targets for eliminating malaria, mother-to-child HIV transmission and other diseases;
     
  • strengthening access to timely and reliable health data; and
     
  • prequalifying 400 health products per year.

 

WHO, with its 194 Member States and presence around the world, is uniquely placed to guide and coordinate collective action.

With a fully and sustainably funded WHO, decisive steps can be taken in the next 4 years to tackle emergencies and outbreaks that threaten lives and jeopardize global health security, to reduce disease, and continue working to improve well-being for everyone, especially for the most vulnerable. 

Why we need an Investment Round

To make progress on current interrelated global challenges and achieve its mission, WHO needs sustainable financing. The budget to deliver WHO’s core work (base budget) over the next 4-years is US$ 11.1 billion. Projected income (as of mid-2024) will cover US$ 4 billion of this total, leaving a funding requirement of US$ 7.1 billion.

WHO is not increasing its budget over previous years but to be more effective, Member States have agreed that WHO needs sustainable financing, that is, predictable, flexible and resilient.

Predictability
Upfront resources at the start of the four-year cycle are necessary so that WHO can plan effectively, keep a stable workforce and allocate funds efficiently.

Flexibility
Funding untied to specified areas of work allows WHO to allocate resources strategically and ensure adequate and equitable funding across the Organization.

Resilience
Broadening the donor base to increase the resilience of funding to avoid reliance on a small set of donors.

 

 

Global leaders voice their support

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Health for all is an investment, not a cost. Investment in WHO yields healthy results, it is a prudent investment and a moral imperative. These testimonials from leaders have been published in the latest WHO investment case “All for Health, Health for All, investment case 2025–2028“.

 

Deliver for impact

 

WHO country stories: delivering for all
29 October 2023

WHO country stories: delivering for all
The stories collected here are anchored in the WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 13) results framework, which measures the progress made...
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