The WHO launches its Health Emergency Appeal for 2023 , estimated at US$ 2.54 billion, with the aim of assisting millions of people around the world who are facing one or another health emergency. The number of people in need of humanitarian relief has increased by almost 25% compared to 2022, reaching a record 339 million.
WHO is currently responding to an unprecedented number of interconnected health emergencies: climate change-related disasters such as the floods in Pakistan or food insecurity in the Sahel and Horn of Africa region; the war in Ukraine, and the health consequences of the conflicts raging in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria and northern Ethiopia, all of which are emergencies combined with the disruption of health systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and with outbreaks of measles, cholera and other deadly diseases.
"This unprecedented confluence of crises demands an unprecedented response," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Never before have so many people been exposed to imminent risk of disease and starvation. They all need help now. The world cannot look the other way and expect these crises to resolve themselves. I urge donors to be generous and help WHO save lives, prevent the spread of disease, within and across borders, and support communities as they rebuild."
Right now, the WHO is acting in the face of 54 health crises around the world, 11 of them classified as "grade 3", the highest emergency level of the WHO, which requires a response from the three levels of the Organization. As is often the case, the people hit the hardest are the most vulnerable.
In 2022, WHO provided medicines and other supplies, trained doctors and other health workers, distributed vaccines, enabled more effective disease surveillance, procured mobile clinics, and supported mental health care and maternal health consultations, among many other activities. WHO offers cost-effective and highly responsive responses that protect people's health, lives and livelihoods. Every dollar invested in WHO brings a return of at least $35.*
WHO responds to health emergencies in close collaboration with Member States, other United Nations agencies, nongovernmental organizations, civil society entities and other partners at the community level and across countries and regions.
The appeal will be launched at an event at WHO headquarters, Geneva, organized by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. It will be webcast from this page: www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/01/23/default-calendar/WHOs-health-emergency-appeal-2023 , and also on the YouTube channel from WHO, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Source: World Health Organization