Germany Drops To No. 2 WHO’s Donor

Germany will give 130 million euros ($141.87 million) to the World Health Organisation this year.

Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach said on Thursday following a meeting with the U.N. health agency’s head.

“We are happy to contribute 130 million euros to WHO this year,” Lauterbach told reporters at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, following a meeting with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

He said on Twitter tyat; “The WHO must be strengthened financially so that humanity is better prepared for the next pandemic.” 

Lauterbach met with Tedros on the sidelines of the agency’s executive board meeting this week where it is seeking a reinforced role in global health but still seeking answers on how to fund it.

The body’s funding system, which currently has a nearly $1 billion gap, is widely seen as needing major reform given its over-reliance on donor whims.

However, the announcement was not enough to return Germany to the top donor spot after Berlin temporarily overtook the main historical contributor Washington in the last funding period 2020-2021 due to Trump-era funding cuts, WHO data showed.

Reuters/ Mercy Chukwudiebere