Geneva, Switzerland – The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its 2026 global emergency appeal, seeking nearly $1 billion to provide critical health care to millions of people living in humanitarian crises and conflict zones worldwide.
The appeal targets 36 emergencies, including 14 Grade 3 crises, the highest level of organizational response. These crises range from sudden disasters to protracted conflicts where urgent health interventions are needed.
In 2025, WHO and its partners supported 30 million people through its emergency appeal, delivering life-saving vaccinations to 5.3 million children, facilitating 53 million health consultations, supporting over 8,000 health facilities, and deploying 1,370 mobile clinics to reach hard-to-access areas.
“This appeal is a call to stand with people living through conflict, displacement, and disaster – to give them not just services, but the confidence that the world has not turned its back on them,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Access to health care restores dignity, stabilizes communities, and offers a pathway toward recovery. It is not charity; it is a strategic investment in health and security.”
Rising Health Needs Amid Global Crises
The appeal comes as global pressures converge, with protracted conflicts, climate change impacts, and recurring infectious disease outbreaks driving increased demand for humanitarian health support. Meanwhile, global humanitarian funding has contracted, with 2025 levels falling below those of 2016. As a result, WHO and partners were able to reach only one-third of the 81 million people originally targeted for health assistance.
WHO’s top priority response areas in 2026 include:
- Afghanistan
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Haiti
- Myanmar
- Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Ukraine
- Yemen
- Ongoing outbreaks of cholera and mpox
As the lead agency for health in humanitarian settings, WHO coordinates more than 1,500 partners across 24 crisis-affected regions, ensuring local authorities and communities remain central to emergency responses.
Support From International Partners
At the appeal launch, Ambassador Noel White, Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, said:
“Every humanitarian crisis is a health crisis. Ireland is proud to support WHO’s emergency response through flexible and predictable funding, enabling rapid interventions where they are most needed.”
Marita Sørheim-Rensvik, Norway’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, added:
“In today’s most complex emergencies, WHO remains indispensable – protecting health, upholding humanitarian law, and ensuring life-saving care reaches people where few others can operate. We call on all Member States to strengthen support for WHO to reach those who need it most.”
WHO’s Emergency Response Priorities
Key interventions funded through the appeal include:
- Keeping essential health facilities operational
- Delivering emergency medical supplies and trauma care
- Preventing and responding to disease outbreaks
- Restoring routine immunization programs
- Providing sexual, reproductive, maternal, and child health services
Early and predictable funding allows WHO and its partners to respond immediately when crises strike, reducing deaths, containing outbreaks, and preventing health risks from escalating into wider humanitarian and security crises.
With the requested resources, WHO aims to sustain life-saving health care in the world’s most vulnerable settings while building a bridge toward recovery and peace.
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