Honourable Professor Ullmann,
Dear friends,
Good afternoon, guten abend, it's a real honour for me to be here, and thank you for the opportunity.
In particular, I thank the Bundestag, the Sub-Committee on Global Health, and its Chair, Professor Ullmann, for hosting us today, and for your support.
Germany is in fact one of the first countries to create a parliamentary body focused on global health, and we would very much like to see other national parliaments follow your example.
And a warm welcome to the parliamentarians from more than 30 countries who are joining us today, as well as representatives from several parliamentary platforms.
In my remarks at the opening of the World Health Summit last night, I said that global peace is under threat, and must be protected and promoted with strong and principled leadership.
But equally, that global health is under threat, and must be defended with equally strong and principled leadership.
Parliaments play a vital role in promoting and protecting health, by putting in place the legislative, regulatory and budgetary measures that can prevent diseases, and create the conditions for health to thrive.
WHO is committed to working with parliaments and parliamentary platforms to promote and protect the health of the people you - and we - serve.
Like any organization, sustainable financing is essential for our success.
As you may be aware, WHO's income comes from two principal sources.
The first is assessed contributions, which are the annual, compulsory dues that Member States pay, based on a formula according to each country's GDP.
These funds are predictable, as we know they will be paid every year, and they are flexible - we can use them for different global health priorities according to need.
However, assessed contributions currently account for only 14% of our budget.
The other 86% of our budget comes from voluntary contributions, from Member States, philanthropic foundations and other donors.
These funds are not predictable, because we don't know when they will come, they only cover short-term projects, and they are not flexible - when they do come, they are usually tightly earmarked for specific programmes and projects.
As you can imagine, this imbalance creates several problems.
First, it puts our independence at risk. It means that effectively, WHO is not in control of its own budget. Donors pick and choose the projects they like, not what our Member States say they need.
Second, it puts our work at risk, especially in countries. Short-term, unpredictable financing means we are heavily reliant on consultants who work on short-term, temporary contracts.
Understandably, that makes it difficult to recruit world-class experts, who expect more stability and predictability.
In the past few years, several Member States, including Germany, have moved towards multi-year, flexible contributions.
We very much appreciate this.
But a collective approach among all Member States is essential to secure the long-term sustainability of WHO's financing.
That's what happened at the World Health Assembly this year, when our Member States adopted a landmark decision to increase assessed contributions to 50% of our base budget over the next decade - and sooner if possible.
This historic moment was reached thanks in large part to the hard work and determination of my friend Björn Kummel, who led the Member State working group that negotiated this decision.
If delivered, this will give WHO a predictable and sustainable funding platform from which to deliver long-term programming in countries, and enable us to attract and retain the experts we need.
Ultimately, it will transform our ability to deliver results where it matters most - in the lives of the people we all serve.
The first step is a proposed 20% increase in assessed contributions for the 2024-25 budget, which amounts to about 200 million U.S. dollars.
As you know, there have been many reviews of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All of them have recommended that the world needs a strong and sustainably funded WHO, at the centre of the global health architecture.
Sustainable financing for WHO is not charity; it's an investment for all countries.
Funding WHO brings a healthy return on investment. An analysis by researchers from Victoria University in Australia shows that every US dollar invested in WHO yields a return of at least 35 U.S. dollars.
Our Member States have said very clearly that in return, they expect improvements in effectiveness and efficiency. So they should, and we are committed to giving them that.
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To achieve this, our Executive Board has now established a task group on strengthening budgetary, programmatic and financing governance, to identify challenges and recommendations, some of which we are already starting to implement.
Before we start the discussion, let me leave you with three specific requests.
First, we seek your support as parliamentarians to ensure your own governments meet the agreed first phase of the increase in assessed contributions at next year's World Health Assembly.
Second, we seek your support for your governments' active engagement in the task group on strengthening governance. This is in the interests of every country.
And third, we seek your continued support to ensure adequate financing for health domestically, and for keeping your governments accountable for their commitments.
Thank you all once again for your time and attention, and I look forward to your questions and comments.
Finally, our work with parliaments is led by our very talented, committed and hard-working colleague Elisa Scolaro, and today is Elisa's birthday.
So Elisa, thank you for everything you do, and happy birthday.
