WHO launches foundation to broaden donor base to individuals and companies

Name: WHO members including China back investigation of UN body’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Uploaded: 2020-05-27T15:30:15.000Z
Duration: 2 min 37 s
Description: WHO members including China back investigation of UN body’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic

Health agency faces mounting criticism and financial pressure amid pandemic, with US threatening to permanently cut funding

Launch of new entity was brought forward to tackle the coronavirus and ‘not for any political question’, its founder says

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WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the foundation will help increase the agency’s quantity and quality of funds. Photo: AFP

Josephine Ma

Published: 11:30pm, 27 May 2020Updated: 9:46pm, 28 May 2020

The World Health Organisation has launched a foundation to help it raise funds from individuals and companies, as the UN agency seeks to broaden its donor base.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the Geneva-based body, had announced the plan to set up a foundation last year. But the official launch comes as the WHO is facing mounting criticism and financial pressure amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and after its largest donor, the United States, threatened to permanently halt funding.

“An important part of WHO’s future success is broadening its donor base and increasing both the quantity and quality of funds at its disposal,” Tedros said on Wednesday.

“The creation of the WHO Foundation, as part of WHO’s transformation, is an important step towards this goal, and towards achieving our mission to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.”

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WHO members including China back investigation of UN body’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic

The foundation aims to raise US$1 billion in the next three to four years to help the WHO achieve its “triple billion” goals by 2023: protecting 1 billion people from health emergencies; extending universal health coverage to 1 billion people; and assuring healthy lives and well-being for 1 billion people.