Frequently asked questions

WHO requires sustainable, predictable, and flexible financing to carry out its mandate, be agile enough to respond to global health threats and provide quality support to Member States in reaching their agreed goals for health for all.

Sustainable funding means funding which is flexible, predictable and resilient. When WHO was founded, it received almost all of its funding from the Assessed Contributions that Member States pay predictably each year. These contributions can be flexibly deployed and are, by definition, from a broad base of Member States. This source has declined in relative terms and accounts for less than a quarter of WHO’s funding, with the remaining three quarters from voluntary contributions, mostly from a small number of donors. With the Member States decision to restore the value of Assessed Contributions to cover 50% of the Base budget by 2030, the Investment Round seeks to reform the Voluntary Contributions which make up the balance of the Base budget.

Predictable funding allows WHO to have a longer horizon in its financial planning and enables the Organization to plan better, retain talent, maintain a stable workforce, and allocate funds more efficiently. The Investment Round is seeking to secure upfront funding to cover the costs of our Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14) which runs from 2025-2028.

In recent years, over 70% of the revenue WHO has received has been earmarked for specific areas of work or countries by the Member State or partner who provides the funds. While WHO appreciates all contributions received, the restrictions which come with such funding brings challenges for managing a large organization.

For example, funds earmarked for a particular disease programme can only be spent there, even if the programme is already overfunded. If pressing needs arise in other areas, and WHO would want to transfer funds to meet that emerging need, this would not be possible under the terms of the grant. In addition, earmarked funding usually requires bespoke reporting, and because of the volume of such funding received, WHO staff have to write over 3000 donor reports each year. We recognize the importance of accountability for the funds we receive but the current system is neither optimal nor efficient and diverts valuable resources and time away from the core work of the Organization.

Flexible funding, by contrast, goes into a central pot. Instead of contributors deciding where the money goes, WHO can allocate these funds across priorities and ensure quick deployment of resources to where they are most needed. The accountability requirement is met by centralized reporting so instead of writing reports grant by grant, WHO writes one report for all contributors.

All contributions towards the base budget will count towards the Investment Round, regardless of the funding type or timing of agreement. WHO recognizes that donors have thematic or geographic interests and expertise and will continue to engage with all donors while aiming to fulfill the goals of the Investment Round.

The Investment Round is a new mechanism to mobilize resources for WHO’s core work (known as WHO’s base budget, which excludes special programmes, initiatives, and emergency response). To create this mechanism was one of the key recommendations of the WHO Working Group on Sustainable Financing. In 2022–2023, Member States’ assessed contributions (membership dues) covered only 13% of WHO’s budget, which left the Organization reliant on voluntary, often earmarked and unpredictable contributions to fund its work. This created uncertainty and inefficiency across the Organization and left areas where approved activities went unfunded. The same Working Group made other recommendations that have been adopted by Member States, such as a gradual increase in assessed contributions.

The Investment Round is different because WHO is not a fund like the Global Fund or Gavi. Further the programme of work and the budget is approved in advance by Member States, whereas for the vertical funds, the size of the programme is determined by outcome of their replenishments. The Investment Round does share some common features however with other replenishments. The Investment Round asks all Member States and partners to work together on a unified timeline, and towards a single financial target and there is a public campaign which culminates in a series of pledging moments.

No, because WHO is not competing for a larger share of the global health funding market. WHO advocates for investment in health through a variety of health actors, globally, regionally, nationally and locally. WHO must be adequately financed to fill its technical and coordinating role in global health, which in turn enables the success of partners – indeed, if WHO did not exist, other organizations would have to replicate its functions and their asks would be correspondingly higher. A fully funded WHO acts as a catalyst to reaching global health goals.

WHO requires US$ 11.1 billion for the base budget of GPW 14 – that is, to deliver on its core work for 2025 through 2028. Approximately US$ 4 billion is expected from Assessed Contributions leaving a funding requirement of US$ 7.1 billion, the Investment Round aims to fundraise towards this requirement.

No. The US$ 11.1 billion base budget assumes zero-growth over the 2022–2023 biennial budget.

Yes. The Investment Round will build on the Secretariat’s existing resource mobilization strategy to expand longer-term, outcome-based collaboration with philanthropic foundations and other civil society partners; and will continue engagement with the private sector, in line with the Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors FENSA rules), facilitated by the WHO Foundation.

The Investment Round will be a series of events co-hosted by interested Member States, leading up to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil where G20 attendees will have the opportunity to pledge and progress will be announced. For more information on the events, please visit the ‘How to pledge’ page.

Success will be measured by the level of funding at the start of 2025, the predictability and flexibility of the funding that is raised, the extent to which the donor base is broadened, and cost savings from greater efficiency in WHO’s fundraising activities.