WHO Launches $1 Billion Global Appeal for 2026 to Support Millions in Health Emergencies.
Geneva:
Agency seeks funding to respond to 36 crises worldwide as humanitarian needs rise and financing declines
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its 2026 global emergency appeal, seeking nearly US$ 1 billion to deliver life-saving health services to millions of people affected by conflict, climate shocks, disease outbreaks and other humanitarian crises.
The appeal aims to fund WHO’s response to 36 emergencies worldwide, including 14 Grade 3 emergencies—the organization’s highest level of response for the most severe and complex crises. These emergencies include both sudden-onset disasters and protracted conflicts where health systems have been severely disrupted and populations face critical risks.
“This appeal is a call to stand with people living through conflict, displacement and disaster – to give them not just services, but the confidence that the world has not turned its back on them,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “It is not charity. It is a strategic investment in health and security. In fact, access to health care restores dignity, stabilizes communities and offers a pathway toward recovery.”
2025 Response Reached 30 Million People
In 2025, WHO and its partners supported 30 million people through its annual emergency appeal. Funding enabled life-saving vaccination for 5.3 million children, facilitated 53 million health consultations, supported more than 8,000 health facilities and deployed 1,370 mobile clinics to reach vulnerable and hard-to-access populations.
However, the organization warned that global humanitarian funding has sharply declined. In 2025, overall humanitarian financing fell below 2016 levels. As a result, WHO and its partners were able to reach only one-third of the 81 million people initially targeted for humanitarian health assistance.
The 2026 appeal comes at a time of mounting global pressures, including prolonged armed conflicts, escalating climate-related disasters and recurring infectious disease outbreaks. These factors are driving rising demand for emergency health support even as available funding contracts.
WHO officials stressed that renewed international solidarity and predictable financing are urgently needed to prevent further deterioration in fragile settings.
Priority Countries and Health Threats
WHO’s priority emergency response areas for 2026 include Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine and Yemen. The appeal will also support ongoing responses to outbreaks such as cholera and mpox.
As the lead agency for health in humanitarian settings, WHO coordinates more than 1,500 partners across 24 crisis-affected countries, working closely with national authorities and local organizations to ensure that responses remain locally driven and sustainable.
Ambassador Noel White, Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and co-chair at the launch event, emphasized the critical link between health and humanitarian response.
“Every humanitarian crisis is a health crisis. That is why Ireland is proud to support the WHO emergency response through unearmarked, flexible and predictable funding of the Contingency Fund for Emergencies,” he said.
Ms Marita Sørheim-Rensvik, Norway’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, also co-chaired the event and underscored WHO’s essential role.
“In today’s most complex emergencies, WHO remains indispensable – protecting health, upholding international humanitarian law, and ensuring life-saving care reaches people in places where few others can operate,” she said. “Norway calls on all Member States to strengthen support for WHO so it can continue delivering for those who need it most.”
Focus on Life-Saving and Preventive Care
WHO and its partners’ emergency actions in 2026 will focus on:
Keeping essential health facilities operational
Delivering emergency medical supplies and trauma care
Preventing and responding to disease outbreaks
Restoring routine immunization services
Ensuring access to sexual and reproductive, maternal and child health services in fragile and conflict-affected settings
WHO emphasized that early and predictable investment allows for rapid response when crises emerge, reducing mortality, containing outbreaks and preventing localized emergencies from escalating into broader humanitarian and global health security threats.
Despite difficult decisions to prioritize only the most critical interventions due to funding shortages, WHO maintains that its emergency operations remain highly impactful. With full funding of the 2026 appeal, the organization says it can sustain essential health services in the world’s most severe emergencies while helping stabilize communities and lay foundations for long-term recovery and peace.
