WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the Seventy-Seventh World Health Assembly roundtable– 28 May 2024

All for Health, Health for All: the WHO Investment case, 2025-2028


Thank you, John-Arne.


Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,


fThe World Health Assembly is off to a great start.


This morning, Committee A approved the 14th General Programme of Work – our guiding strategy for the next four years, with a mission to promote, provide and protect the health of the world’s people.


On Sunday night, we launched WHO's first Investment Round – a critical part of our long-term plan to transform the way WHO is financed, and to implement GPW14.


The budget for implementing GPW14 is 11.1 billion US dollars, over four years.


We estimate that about 4 billion US dollars will be secured through assessed contributions, if the increases to which Member States have committed are realised.


The Investment Round aims to mobilize the other 7 billion US dollars through voluntary contributions.


Today, we are launching the WHO Investment case, which shows how, if fully funded and implemented, GPW14 could contribute to saving 40 million lives over four years.


These lives will be saved across the range of our work, from expanding immunization, to preventing NCDs, to providing vital services during emergencies.


Together we can make 10,000 health facilities climate-resilient;


We can help 84 countries reach their targets for disease elimination;


And we can keep the world safer by assessing health threats and coordinating responses to multiple emergencies at any time.


But we can only do this with the predictable and flexible funds we need to make long-term plans, and recruit and retain the people we need to implement those plans.


Excellencies, colleagues,


I thank Brazil, which will host the Investment Round as President of the G20, alongside co-hosts France, Germany and Norway, and Mauritania in its capacity as Chair of the African Union.


I also thank the G7 finance ministers, who recently called for increased funding for WHO through the Investment Round.


And I thank all Member States and other donors for their voluntary contributions, especially those who already provide predictable and flexible funding.


I commend the Investment case to you.


We seek the support of every Member State and donor to ensure the Investment Round is a success, and that GPW14 is fully funded, so that together we can realise our shared vision to promote, provide and protect the health of the world’s people.


I thank