WHO appeals for $1.5 bn to tackle 'unprecedented' global health crisis

Geneva: The World Health Organization appealed Thursday for $1.5 billion for emergency operations this year, warning that conflict, climate change, ep...

Geneva: The World Health Organization appealed Thursday for $1.5 billion for emergency operations this year, warning that conflict, climate change, epidemics and displacement had converged to create an "unprecedented global health crisis".

The UN health agency estimated that health crises would leave 305 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance this year.

"WHO is seeking $1.5 billion to support our life-saving work for the emergencies we know about and to react swiftly to new crises," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as he launched the appeal.

The agency's emergency request, which was for the same amount as last year's ask, outlined the critical priorities and resources needed to address 42 ongoing health emergencies.

"Conflicts, outbreaks, climate-related disasters and other health emergencies are no longer isolated or occasional -- they are relentless, overlapping and intensifying," Tedros said in a statement.