FinancingWHO

Offline: Telling the truth about WHO

dlegge — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 03:04:09 +0000

Offline: Telling the truth about WHO

15 February 2025

dlegge Sat, 15/02/2025 - 14:04

Author/s

Richard Horton

The Lancet

Offline: Telling the truth about WHO

US President Donald Trump is angry with WHO. Me too. We are all angry with WHO for some reason. But Trump's reasons do not make much sense. Here is his charge sheet. First, that WHO is a bloated bureaucracy that needs urgent reform. Second, that the US Government pays too much to the agency compared with other member states. Third, that WHO covered up the origins of COVID-19. Finally, that WHO mismanaged the COVID-19 pandemic. I am told that Trump might have remained a member state on three conditions: that the current WHO Director-General (DG), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, resigned; that his successor was an American; and that China increased its contributions to the agency. These conditions were ludicrously impossible to deliver. But the US Government has not turned its back on WHO entirely. At last week's Executive Board meeting in Geneva, the US sent a delegation, and their representatives spoke in several debates. WHO is still sharing information—eg, on health emergencies—with the US. At some deep level, US diplomats know that WHO plays too important a part in monitoring disease, supporting countries, and convening experts to risk completely cutting off ties.

Geneva Health Files April-June 2024 [The GHF WRAP]

dlegge — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 06:40:25 +0000

Geneva Health Files April-June 2024 [The GHF WRAP]

02 July 2024

dlegge Fri, 05/07/2024 - 16:40

Author/s

Priti Patnaik

GHF

Geneva Health Files April-June 2024 [The GHF WRAP]

Special index page with links to over 35 editions of GHF, including a series of exclusive stories, guest essays, interviews, podcasts from the second quarter of 2024 between April and June, compiled by Sana Ali.

Group 1 'Treaty talks' comprises posts regarding the WG IHRs and the INB for a pandemic agreement. See in particular the posts regarding the politics of the Africa position and various reports regarding pathogen access and benefit sharing, financing, 'equity', and technology transfer.

Group 2 includes a range of posts, including comments on WHA77 and WHO financing (the 'investment round').

Group 3 includes a number of guest essays, including One Health and PABS in the draft pandemic agreement

Keywords

IHRs (International health regulations)

PandemicTreaty

FinancingWHO

Green Light for WHO to Raise Resources to Beef Up Finances; Countries Set Tighter Processes To Streamline WHO Spending

dlegge — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 21:23:49 +0000

Green Light for WHO to Raise Resources to Beef Up Finances; Countries Set Tighter Processes To Streamline WHO Spending

25 January 2024

dlegge Fri, 26/01/2024 - 08:23

Geneva Health Files

Green Light for WHO to Raise Resources to Beef Up Finances; Countries Set Tight…

In a significant decision this week, the WHO Executive Board has set in motion the process to help WHO raise resources through an “Investment Round” later in 2024. This is even as other detailed measures are being put in place for greater transparency and accountability to not only ensure how WHO manages and spends its money, but also how it uses its resources to set priorities. Member states are taking active and serious interest in reforming the way WHO conducts its business. But some stakeholders are also wary whether efficiency in spending could be used as a political tool to tightly circumscribe what WHO can and cannot do.

Keywords

FinancingWHO

Huge Support for Universal Health Coverage and NCD Measures, But Adoption of WHO Replenishment Fund is Unlikely

dlegge — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 01:12:06 +0000

Huge Support for Universal Health Coverage and NCD Measures, But Adoption of WHO Replenishment Fund is Unlikely

25 May 2023

dlegge Tue, 01/08/2023 - 11:12

Health Policy Watch

Huge Support for Universal Health Coverage and NCD Measures, But Adoption of WH…

An impossibly long list of member states lined up to address universal health coverage (UHC) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at the World Health Assembly on Thursday afternoon, indicating the centrality of these issues for countries.

here was near-universal support for primary health services to be the backbone of UHC, with disease prevention as the other key pillar – particularly to prevent NCDs.

…

However, the same spirit of agreement was absent in Committee B, with a divergence among member states’ opinions on a “replenishment mechanism” proposed by the WHO Director-General to ensure more sustainable financing of the organisation.

Member-states deliberated on different possible models of sustainable funding of the WHO, delaying agreement on a single, unified formula of a “replenishment mechanism”.

The US made it clear that it did not support the replenishment mechanism – a view that ultimately held sway. It, however, expressed support to have rounds of investments by donors, similar to other global health organizations like The Global Fund.

…

It is also widely believed that the country pushed for inclusion of “earmarked contributions” in the draft text of the resolution, in exchange for its support to the resolution.

Keywords

UHC (Universal health coverage)

FinancingWHO

NCDs (Noncommunicable disease)