Director-General calls for a "paradigm shift" in funding for WHO

According to the global health body's chief, the World Health Organization (WHO) is "set to fail" with its current funding model.

The Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, spoke at the 150th session of the WHO executive board on the need for a paradigm shift in how the global health organization is funded.

In his view, the current funding model sets WHO up for failure. "We need a paradigm shift in funding the world's health organisation to match the paradigm shift in world health," he said.

"Health is an international issue. The scale of the challenges we face is immense, as evidenced by the breadth of this week's agenda," he noted.

Last week, a Covid-19 death was reported every 12 seconds, and 100 cases were reported on average every three seconds, said WHO chief Margaret Chan.

Reports indicate that the WHO depends on voluntary funding from member states and charities, which makes it less able to criticize members when they go wrong and makes it more focused on priorities set by funders.

Addressing long-term concerns over the performance of the organisation, he said that members were within their rights to expect higher standards from the organisation, including "enhanced governance, efficiency, accountability and transparency", saying that included "zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment".

The reference to sexual abuse appears to be a reference to a damning report last year that found that 21 employees working for the UN global health body were among perpetrators of serious sexual abuses during the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the report said.

Ghebreyesus also urged member states to "ensure the quality and quantity of investments" in line with expectations.

He also asked world countries to "work together to prevent, detect and respond rapidly to outbreaks and other health emergencies".