The World Health Organization launched its 2026 global emergency appeal on Monday, seeking nearly one billion US dollars to provide life-saving health care to millions of people caught in conflicts, disasters, and humanitarian emergencies across 36 crisis settings worldwide.
The ambitious funding request comes as WHO faces its most challenging operational environment in years, with 14 of the 36 emergencies classified as Grade 3, the highest level requiring maximum organizational response. The appeal covers critical situations in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen, as well as ongoing cholera and mpox outbreaks.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgency of the appeal during the announcement, stating that this is a call to stand with people living through conflict, displacement, and disaster. He noted that health workers on the front lines of these crises need sustained support to continue their life-saving work in increasingly dangerous conditions.
The organization highlighted its 2025 achievements to demonstrate the impact of emergency funding. Last year, WHO and its partners supported 30 million people through the annual emergency appeal, delivering life-saving vaccinations to 5.3 million children, enabling 53 million health consultations, supporting more than 8,000 health facilities, and deploying 1,370 mobile clinics to reach remote and underserved populations.
However, WHO officials expressed concern that 2025 humanitarian funding fell below 2016 levels, resulting in only one-third of the 81 million targeted people receiving assistance. This funding gap has forced difficult decisions about which populations receive care and which must go without essential health services.
Ireland's Ambassador to the United Nations emphasized during the launch that every humanitarian crisis is fundamentally a health crisis, underscoring the central role WHO plays in emergency response. Norway's Deputy Representative added that WHO remains indispensable in protecting health and ensuring life-saving care reaches the people who need it most.
The appeal comes as WHO coordinates with over 1,500 partners across 24 crisis settings globally, working to maintain health systems, prevent disease outbreaks, and provide essential medical care to displaced populations and communities affected by ongoing conflicts and natural disasters.
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