Context: India has pledged over $300 million to the WHO’s core programme for 2025-2028, making it the largest contributor in Southeast Asia.
- Allocation breakdown:
- $250 million for the Centre of Excellence for Traditional Medicine.
- $38 million for a new premises for WHO’s regional office.
- $10 million for digital health initiatives.
- $4.6 million for thematic funding.
- WHO funding gap: WHO seeks to fill a $7.1 billion funding gap and has received pledges totaling over $2.2 billion.
- WHO’s 2025-2028 Mandate:
- The funds will be used to:
- Save at least 40 million lives.
- Deliver vaccines to priority countries.
- Support 55 countries in training and employing 3.2 million health workers.
- Prequalify 400 health products per year.
- The funds will be used to:
- Regional contributions: Countries in WHO’s South-East Asia Region have pledged over $345 million in funding for WHO’s core programme.
- Upcoming events: A pledging ceremony will take place in November at the G-20 summit in Brazil.
Relevance to UPSC Syllabus
- GS II (Governance): India’s role in international organizations like WHO.
- GS II (International Relations): Bilateral and regional contributions to global health initiatives.
- GS II (Health): Public health funding and India’s commitment to global health.
- GS IV (Ethics in International Relations): Ethical responsibilities of countries in supporting global health and “Health for all” initiatives.
