UN Needs $2.54b To Tackle 2023 Health Crises

On Monday, the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that they will need two-and-a-half billion dollars in funding across their operations this year to help a record number of people facing disease and starvation.

In its appeal, the WHO said that a staggering 339 million people need global humanitarian assistance. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the UN agency’s Director-General, urged donors “to be generous” and help WHO to save lives, prevent the spread of disease within and across borders, and support communities as they rebuild.

Today, WHO staff are assisting in 54 health crises worldwide, 11 of which are classified as Grade 3, WHO’s highest level of emergency, requiring the most comprehensive response.

“As it is often the case, the most vulnerable are the worst hit,” the UN agency said in a statement.

The UN agency is already working in an “unprecedented” number of emergencies, from the fall-out of devastating flooding in Pakistan to catastrophic food insecurity across the Sahel and in the greater Horn of Africa.

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The WHO is also heavily involved in alleviating suffering in Ukraine following the Russian invasion and it continues to work in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and northern Ethiopia, where conflict, COVID-19, and climate change have dangerously disrupted healthcare access.

“This unprecedented convergence of crises demands an unprecedented response,” said Ghebreyesus.

“More people than ever before face the imminent risk of disease and starvation and need help now. The world cannot look away and hope these crises resolve themselves.”

In 2022, WHO’s assistance to communities in conjunction with local and national authorities, non-governmental authorities, and civil society organisations included medicines and other key supplies, training for health professionals, vaccines, enhanced disease surveillance, mobile clinics, mental health support, maternal health consultations, and more.

“WHO delivers cost-effective, high-impact responses that protect health, lives, and livelihoods,” the agency insisted. “Every $1 invested in WHO generates at least $35 in return on investment.”

According to the WHO website, the UN agency is currently responding to Grade 3 health emergencies in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the greater Horn of Africa, Northern Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen. The COVID-19 pandemic and mpox outbreaks are also classified as Grade 3 emergencies.