The World Health Organization has launched its 2026 emergency appeal as a call for global solidarity with people affected by conflict, displacement, and disasters, stressing that humanitarian support is about restoring dignity and hope, not just delivering services. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the appeal seeks to reassure vulnerable communities that the world has not abandoned them at a time when humanitarian and health funding is facing its steepest decline in a decade.
The 2026 appeal aims to respond to 36 emergencies worldwide, including 14 severe “grade 3” crises that require the highest level of organizational response. This comes as nearly 250 million people are living in humanitarian crises marked by the loss of safety, shelter, and access to healthcare, even as global military spending continues to rise sharply. WHO highlighted the stark contrast between growing defense expenditures and shrinking resources for lifesaving health assistance.
WHO underscored that the appeal is not an act of charity but a strategic investment in global health and security. By sustaining essential healthcare in the world’s most fragile settings, WHO and its partners help stabilize communities, protect human dignity, and lay foundations for long-term recovery and peace. As the lead agency for health in humanitarian emergencies, WHO coordinates more than 1,500 partners across 24 crisis settings, working closely with national authorities and local actors.
The appeal is being launched amid mounting global pressures, including prolonged conflicts, worsening climate impacts, and recurring infectious disease outbreaks that are increasing the demand for emergency health support. WHO identified priority response areas such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen, alongside responses to ongoing outbreaks of cholera and mpox.
WHO warned that shrinking humanitarian financing has forced difficult prioritization decisions, leaving only the most critical and high-impact health interventions in place. The agency stressed that renewed international commitment and solidarity are urgently needed to protect people living in the most vulnerable and fragile contexts, where access to healthcare can mean the difference between life and death.
The organization also highlighted the tangible impact of timely and predictable funding. In 2025, WHO and its partners reached 30 million people through its emergency appeal, delivering vaccinations to millions of children, supporting tens of millions of health consultations, keeping thousands of health facilities operational, and deploying mobile clinics to hard-to-reach areas. However, with humanitarian funding falling below 2016 levels, WHO and partners were only able to reach one-third of the 81 million people originally targeted for health assistance, underscoring the urgent need for increased support in 2026.
