The World Health Organisation (WHO) has appealed for $1 billion to respond to the world’s 36 most severe health emergencies in 2026, including crises in Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The UN health agency said an estimated 239 million people will require urgent humanitarian health assistance this year, warning that the funding is critical to keep essential health services running in conflict zones and disaster-hit communities.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WHO’s health emergencies chief, Chikwe Ihekweazu, described the scale of the humanitarian burden, noting that millions are living in conditions where basic support systems have collapsed.
“A quarter of a billion people are living through humanitarian crises that strip away the most basic protections: safety, shelter, and access to health care,” Ihekweazu said.
He warned that in these fragile settings, health challenges are worsening due to injuries, disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and untreated chronic illnesses, even as access to medical care continues to shrink.
The WHO noted that the $1 billion appeal is lower than in previous years, reflecting a growing global funding shortfall for humanitarian operations. The agency also pointed to declining donor support, including the withdrawal of the United States, once one of WHO’s biggest contributors, after President Donald Trump announced Washington’s exit from the organisation.
The WHO had requested $1.5 billion in 2025 but received only $900 million, prompting the agency to revise expectations and adjust its 2026 request to what it described as a more realistic level.
Ihekweazu said the WHO has been forced to recalibrate its fundraising goals due to reduced global willingness to fund humanitarian health responses.
As part of its new strategy, the agency said it will focus on “hyper-prioritising” high-impact services, while scaling back lower-impact activities in order to save as many lives as possible.
The WHO warned that funding gaps already had serious consequences in 2025, with 6,700 health facilities across 22 crisis settings shutting down or cutting services, leaving 53 million people without access to health care.
Ihekweazu said families caught in emergencies are increasingly being pushed into painful choices.
“Families living on the edge face impossible decisions, such as whether to buy food or medicine,” he said, stressing that “people should never have to make these choices.”
He urged countries and donors to support the appeal, describing it as an investment in global stability and safety.
“This is why today we are appealing to the better sense of countries and of people and asking them to invest in a healthier, safer world,” he added.
