On 29 November 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and the World Health Organization (WHO) signed a new multi-annual agreement for US$ 36.68 million in core voluntary contributions for the period 2022-2025.

Core voluntary contributions are funds that WHO can use and allocate as needed to address health priorities and challenges. Flexible funding such as this allows the Organization to keep pace with the ever-changing demands of global health and achieve what the world expects of it to improve the health and well-being of all, including those in the most vulnerable situations. Over the last four years, the Netherlands allocated US$ 26 million in core voluntary contributions to WHO and ranked as its 4th most flexible donor for the period 2020-2021. Through this new multi-year agreement, the Netherlands will further strengthen its position as a global leader in providing flexible funding for WHO. Reflecting on this new allocation, Mr Joris Jurriëns, Head of the Health and AIDS Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that “we need a strong and agile WHO as a central, technical and coordinating actor in the global health architecture to face today’s complex, global health challenges”.

This increased support from the Netherlands is essential to the work of WHO.

It provides the catalytic resources enabling WHO to fulfill its mandate where and when action is most needed: to assist countries in achieving better access to high-quality essential health services, including sexual and reproductive health and mental health services; improving prevention, preparedness and response to health emergencies; boosting access to essential medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and devices for primary care and leading its partners to improve planet health – including One Health and antimicrobial resistance.

Increased strong, predictable and flexible support to WHO is a powerful example of The Netherlands’ commitment to scale up its role in global health through the Dutch Global Health Strategy 2023-2030: “Working together for health worldwide”. The Strategy aims to contribute in a coordinated and targeted way to improving public health around the world, and thus also in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is a key supporter and strategic partner of WHO. It funds key activities and brings expertise in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights, water and sanitation, mental health in emergencies, emergency preparedness, tuberculosis, One Health, primary health care, antimicrobial resistance, while facilitating WHO’s cooperation with major health and health-related Dutch institutions.