Press release
Minister for Health announces increased contributions to the World Health Organization to €3.5 million per annum
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today announced that Ireland is immediately significantly increasing our funding to the World Health Organization (WHO). Ireland is the first country in the world to announce the increased funding. This decision coincides with the WHO’s launch of its first-ever Investment Round on Sunday as part of a broader plan to transform the way the Organization is funded heading into an era of climate change, mass migration, pandemic threats, an ageing world population, and turbulent geopolitics.
Speaking at the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Minister Donnelly said:
"Ireland has taken a deliberate and proactive decision to voluntarily increase contributions to the WHO from 2024 to reflect our commitment to the sustainable financing of WHO.
"Instead of taking a phased approach to increasing contributions we will increase our contribution to the 2028-2029 levels from 2024. This represents an increase of 50%.
"This will take our annual funding contribution from the Department of Health for the WHO from €2.3 million to €3.5 million.
"Ireland is leading the way by supporting the latest WHO Investment Round in this way which will help to deliver greater sustainability, predictability, and flexibility for WHO funding. Ireland will also continue to support the WHO through targeted contributions from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
"This launch is well timed as it coincides with the adoption of the 14th General Programme of Work, and I hope that it will ensure adequate funding for the priorities identified and agreed by the Member States to meet the challenges of the years ahead.
"This increase will be delivered through Core Voluntary Contributions (CVCs), which will ensure that the funding can be used at WHO discretion, tailoring its uses to match their needs.
"As a strong supporter of WHO leadership in global health, Ireland believes that the WHO needs to have security and flexibility of funding to ensure it can plan and respond effectively to global health issues while undertaking its expansive work."
Ireland will increase its annual Assessed Contribution to the 2029 rate with immediate effect from approximately €2.32 million to approximately €3.48 million.
In 2023 we entered a three-year agreement with WHO worth €7.5 million annually:
Ireland recently signed an agreement with WHO committing €12.5 million to Digital and Assistive Technology over the next five years.
The increase in funding will be used for multiple purposes, including the sustainable financing of 14th General Programme of Work (GPW14). GPW14 is entitled, Advancing health equity and health systems resilience in a turbulent world: a global health agenda for 2025–2028, Promoting, providing and protecting health and well-being for all.
The intended impact of GPW14 is to achieve increased healthy life expectancy for all. The overall strategic approach that will be adopted for 2025-2028 will have 5 areas of focus.
1. Scale up the Primary Care approach for universal health care and health security, to promote equitable, cost-effective, integrated quality care, especially for the vulnerable.
2. Fully empower national leadership, structures and process for the governance of health to ensure alignment of health players.
3. Maintain a relentless focus on delivering measurable impacts at country level.
4. Enhance action on gender equality, health equity and human rights as preconditions for health and well-being for all.
5. Expand partnerships, community engagement, and inter-sectoral collaboration.
The strategic objectives will be to:
1. Respond to climate change, the greatest threat of the 21st century.
2. Address root causes of ill health by embedding health in key policies across sectors.
3. Advance the primary healthcare approach and essential health system capacities for equity and gender equality.
4. Improve equity in service coverage and financial protection.
5. Prevent, mitigate and prepare for health risks form all hazards.
6. Rapidly detect and sustain an effective response to all health emergencies.