Gom Mirian
France has pledged €25.5 million in funds to support critical health priorities in collaboration with the World Health Organisation WHO).
The funding agreements were signed by the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in Geneva, Jérôme Bonnafont, and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, on Friday.
Out of the total amount, €4.5 million will be directed towards the Core Voluntary Contribution Account (CVCA) of WHO. This account provides flexible funds that allow the organisation to allocate resources to key priorities outlined in its General Programme of Work. It will ensure that WHO has the necessary funding to effectively address critical health issues.
An additional €15 million will address specific key priorities, including One Health, universal health coverage, primary health care, communicable and non-communicable diseases, the medical countermeasure initiative, and country readiness strengthening through WHO’s office in Lyon. It will play a crucial role in advancing global health goals and ensuring that healthcare systems can effectively respond to various health challenges.
Significantly, €6 million of the contribution will be allocated to humanitarian response efforts. Ukraine will receive €2 million to enhance mental health initiatives, while €0.35 million will support the response to the cholera outbreak in Malawi.
Furthermore, €1 million will be directed towards WHO’s humanitarian response in Gaza, with an additional €2 million dedicated to strengthening the technical and human activities of the WHO Office in the occupied Palestinian territory. To address unforeseen emergencies, €0.65 million will be allocated to the Contingency Fund for Emergencies.
Dr. Ghebreyesus expressed his appreciation for France’s role in global health, stating, “As one of the world’s largest economies, France has a critical role to play in global health. France’s financial contributions and agreements, signed today, provide flexibility and align well with WHO’s priorities to promote, provide, protect, power and perform for health.”
France’s WHO Framework Agreement for the period 2020-2025 ensures sustainable funding for priority health pprogrammes that are aligned with WHO’s priorities. Bonnafont emphasised France’s commitment to global health and its support for WHO’s actions in crises and for the benefit of the most vulnerable.
