Following Trump's decision to withdraw the US funds from the WHO, a senior employee started a campaign to raise $1 billion. But which countries funded the organisation in 2024?
ADVERTISEMENT
After Trump ordered the withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO), concerns about future funding arose.
In 2024, the US was the world’s largest source of funding for the WHO, contributing €920.9 million.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation follows in second place with around €662.5 million, while the European Commission ranks fourth with a contribution of about €396.4 million.
Germany is the EU country that provides the most financial support to the WHO, contributing about €312 million.
The World Health Organisation is funded through a combination of member state fees – which are based on countries’ gross domestic product – and voluntary contributions from governments, non-profits, and other groups.
About 24.35% of the total funding is allocated to improving access to quality essential health services.
Polio eradication receives 23.68% of the funding, and acute health emergencies are addressed with 19.84%.
As most contributions are tied to specific initiatives, including disease prevention and public health campaigns, the US withdrawal would entail a substantial blow to the organisation’s future projects.
However, the WHO’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said in a December press conference the organisation can adapt to the loss of American government support.
Raising funds individually
In an effort to address the funding gap left by the United States' withdrawal from the WHO following Trump's decision to opt-out, a WHO employee has launched the "1 Dollar, 1 World" campaign.
Tania Cernuschi, a WHO staff member of 10 years who has worked on improving vaccine access, hopes to raise 1 billion dollars (€960,750,000).
“What if we proved WHO still matters? If each of us, believing the UN isn’t perfect but it’s all we’ve got, gave just $1,” wrote Cernuschi on her donor webpage.
So far, Cernuschi's campaign has raised approximately $70,076.95 (€67,252.50).
Among the early supporters are senior WHO staff members, including epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, who became one of the agency's public faces during the COVID-19 pandemic.