Donors pledge over $170 million to WHO as US withdrawal looms

China, Qatar, Switzerland, and several other donors have pledged more than $170 million to the World Health Organization (WHO), the agency announced Tuesday at its annual assembly, Reuters reported.

The contributions come as WHO prepares for the anticipated departure of the United States, its largest donor.

“In a challenging climate for global health, these funds will help us to preserve and extend our life-saving work,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, referring to the new funding for the 2025–2028 period.

According to a WHO breakdown, Switzerland pledged $40 million, Sweden $13.5 million, Angola $8 million, and Qatar $6 million. Additional contributions came from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and ELMA Philanthropies.

An earlier $500 million pledge from China was not included in the total, as WHO said financial calculations are still being finalized.

Member states also agreed to raise their annual contributions to help close the funding gap expected from the US exit.

"These efforts deliver a strong signal of China's support to WHO during this reform process," said Dr. Lei Haichao, China's health minister. A spokesperson for China's diplomatic mission said this pledge included both mandatory fees and voluntary donations and support for other projects.

Even before the current financial crisis, the WHO had been seeking to overhaul its funding model to make it less dependent on donations from a few big economies. Washington had provided 18% of its funding.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has criticized the body for its handling of COVID-19, announced his intention to withdraw on Day One of his presidency on January 20 - a move that takes a year to implement. On Tuesday, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the organization as "moribund".

The WHO has already revised down its 2026-2027 budget by a fifth to $4.2 billion and cut management posts.

The new budget, formally adopted on Tuesday by the assembly which is seeking to address the funding crisis, will increase countries' mandatory fees by 20% over the next two years and make China the new top state donor.

"Our common goal must be to initiate prompt reforms to safeguard the organisation," said Björn Kümmel, head of Unit Global Health in Germany's health ministry.