The World Health Organization is looking at the potential of a $50 billion endowment fund to help raise more sustainable funding, according to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The idea, Tedros said, is that it could generate between 3% to 5%, or about $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion annually for WHO, which has long struggled with its finances. Most of WHO’s funding comes from voluntary contributions, which are often tied to specific countries or programs. This leaves some areas of its work with little funding.
While WHO has made some progress in broadening its donor base through its investment round and an increase in assessed contributions — or the dues member states provide the organization — it still requires more flexible resources. This has become even more critical following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that his country is withdrawing from WHO.