$1.5B Appeal Launched To Tackle Global Health Crises

The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to raise $1.5 billion through its 2025 Health Emergency Appeal to deliver life-saving health interventions worldwide.

Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus unveiled the appeal last week, outlining the urgent priorities for addressing 42 ongoing health emergencies, including 17 requiring immediate and coordinated action.

According to the WHO, the world is facing an extraordinary convergence of crises that has left 305 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. 

“Conflicts, outbreaks, climate-related disasters, and other emergencies are no longer isolated or occasional – they are relentless, overlapping, and intensifying,” said Tedros.

“This appeal is not just about providing resources; it is about enabling WHO to save lives, protect the right to health and offer hope where there is often none,” he added.

The appeal comes when WHO has recorded unprecedented attacks on healthcare infrastructure.

In 2024 alone, there were 1,515 attacks on health facilities across 15 countries, resulting in hundreds of deaths and severely disrupting critical services.

WHO’s response extends across some of the world’s most fragile settings, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, and Ukraine.

Tedros called for global solidarity, urging donors to act decisively to support the bid to raise funds to deal with the global health crisis.

.In 2024, humanitarian response funding for the health sector met only 40 percent of identified needs, forcing difficult decisions about who could be reached.

Experts have warned that without immediate financial support, millions will remain at risk, and the world’s most vulnerable populations will bear the brunt of this shortfall.