WHO seeks $1 billion for 2026 health crises as funding cuts shutter thousands of clinics

2026-02-03 - 11:05

The World Health Organization (WHO) appealed on Tuesday for $1 billion to respond to the world's most severe health crises in 2026, cautioning that shrinking funds have already shuttered or scaled back thousands of health facilities and left millions without access to essential care. "A quarter of a billion people are living through humanitarian crises that strip away the most basic protections: safety, shelter and access to health care," said Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, at a press briefing in Geneva. Scope of the Appeal and Impact of Cuts The funding appeal targets 36 emergencies, including Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, and Myanmar. Ihekweazu noted that 2025 was already an "exceptionally difficult year," with global funding cuts forcing 6,700 health facilities in 22 humanitarian settings to either close or reduce services, depriving 53 million people of health care. Families are now facing impossible choices between buying food and medicine, he stressed. WHO’s Recent Response and Funding Context Last year, the WHO responded to 50 emergencies across 82 countries, reaching over 30 million people, supporting more than 8,000 facilities, and deploying over 1,400 mobile clinics. The appeal comes at a critical juncture: the United States, historically a top WHO donor, officially withdrew from the organization in January. "Health is priceless," Ihekweazu said. "Today, we again invite the world to invest in health."