The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a $1 billion appeal for 2026, warning that shrinking humanitarian funding is forcing the agency to narrow its response even as health needs surge across the world’s most fragile regions.
The appeal targets 36 of the world’s worst health emergencies, including Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflicts, disease outbreaks and malnutrition continue to overwhelm already weakened health systems. WHO estimates that 239 million people worldwide will require urgent health assistance this year.
Speaking in Geneva, WHO emergencies chief Chikwe Ihekweazu said the organisation was being forced to “hyper-prioritise” lifesaving services as donor support declines. He warned that access to basic healthcare is deteriorating in crisis zones despite rising needs driven by injuries, epidemics and untreated chronic illnesses.
The $1 billion request is significantly lower than WHO appeals in previous years. In 2025, the agency sought $1.5 billion but secured only $900 million, a shortfall it attributes to a broader global aid funding squeeze.
Cuts by major donors, particularly the United States — historically WHO’s largest contributor — have worsened the situation. Washington sharply reduced foreign aid under President Donald Trump, who issued a formal withdrawal notice from the WHO in early 2025.
According to the agency, funding reductions last year forced 6,700 health facilities in 22 humanitarian settings to close or scale back operations, leaving an estimated 53 million people without access to care.
Ihekweazu said families in crisis zones are increasingly facing stark choices between food and medical treatment, stressing that the new appeal focuses on maximising lives saved under severe financial constraints.
WHO officials said the funding would be used to keep essential health services running while lower-impact activities are scaled down, as the agency adapts to what it described as a “new reality” for humanitarian financing.
