GERMANY — Germany has reinforced its long-standing collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) through two significant agreements.
The first involves a €40 million (US$ 42.1 million) contribution to support WHO’s efforts in health emergencies, while the second pertains to hosting the Berlin-based WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence.
This additional funding marks Germany’s commitment to addressing urgent global health challenges, including climate-related disasters, conflicts, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Susanne Baumann, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office for Germany (GFFO), emphasized the critical nature of this support, highlighting its flexibility and its role in saving lives worldwide.
Through the GFFO, Germany has been a substantial contributor to humanitarian crises in countries such as Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, Yemen, and has played a vital role in responding to Ebola outbreaks in Africa.
Notably, Germany stands as one of the top donors to WHO’s Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE), having provided €115 million since the fund’s establishment in 2015.
This funding has had a tangible impact on the health of individuals affected by humanitarian crises, with recent CFE contributions enabling WHO to provide immediate, life-saving assistance in response to events like floods in Libya, conflicts in Sudan, cholera and diphtheria outbreaks, and earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The newly allocated €40 million will be distributed as follows: €20 million (US$ 21.1 million) to the WHO Health Emergencies Appeal 2023, €10 million (US$ 10.5 million) for emergency response in Ukraine, and €10 million (US$ 10.5 million) earmarked for emergencies in Africa.
The meeting between Germany and WHO also involved the signing of a host agreement for the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence.
Established with Germany’s support in Berlin in September 2021, this hub plays a pivotal role in enhancing global data, analytics, and decision-making capabilities for detecting and responding to health emergencies.
Simultaneously, in Berlin, the German government organized a high-level forum titled “Pandemics: No Time for Neglect.”
This forum concentrated on political priorities and actions concerning pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and the financing of resilient healthcare systems.
Key figures such as WHO’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Jeremy Farrar, and Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems, addressed the forum.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, expressed his appreciation for Germany’s leadership in hosting this forum following the recent historic political declaration at the UN General Assembly, which underscored commitments to collaboration, investments, and governance for pandemic prevention and response.
Dr. Tedros emphasized the need to sustain the dialogue and alignment in strengthening and financing healthcare systems.
Germany’s commitment to WHO will continue with its participation in the “Breaking Barriers: Advancing the One Health Agenda with a Focus on Environment” event from October 12-13.
Additionally, Germany will be actively involved in the “World Health Summit 2023” taking place from October 15-17.
This summit will bring together stakeholders from over 100 countries, with a central theme of “A Defining Year for Global Health Action.”
Germany’s holistic approach involves contributions from multiple federal ministries, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as agencies like the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the German Development Bank (KfW).
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