WHO Member States Warn of Acute Operational Risks Amidst Severe Budget Cuts 23/05/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Sweeping personnel cuts and a massive emergency funding shortfall trigger sharp warnings about acute WHO operational risks from member states and experts. Yet, diverging regional priorities complicate short-term and sustainable financing solutions. GENEVA –Member states sounded alarms over severe WHO budget constraints on Thursday at the World Health Assembly. Delegates warned that a 9.4% staff […] Continue reading -> Outbreak Threats, Geopolitical Divides and Financial Crises Hover Over 79th World Health Assembly 18/05/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As the World Health Assembly opens on Monday in Geneva, it will have to grapple with shrinking global health budgets, new outbreak threats, including a new WHO declaration of a public health emergency in Africa over an Ebola virus strain that lacks any vaccine, and an increasingly fractured geopolitical space with deep disputes over Iran, […] Continue reading -> EU Announces Bold Global Health Resilience Initiative Amidst Geopolitical Ruptures 13/05/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The European Commission announced its long-awaited Global Health Resilience Initiative on Wednesday. While the policy roadmap aims to support partner countries’ transition toward health sovereignty amid historic aid cuts and shifting geopolitical realities, critics are concerned about its heavy reliance on private funding. As global health gains face a severe threat of reversal from stagnating […] Continue reading -> Experts Call for Review of Global Outbreak Response as Passengers Leave Ship Hit By Hantavirus 12/05/2026 Kerry Cullinan All passengers were evacuated from the cruise ship, Hondius, by Monday night – and a Spaniard taken to a military hospital in Madrid to quarantine has become the 11th person from the ship to test positive for hantavirus. The evacuation was completed 10 days after the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified about the outbreak […] Continue reading -> World Health Organization Gives Stamp of Approval to First Malaria Treatment for Young Infants 06/05/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has ‘pre-qualified’ Coartem® Baby, the first-ever malaria treatment for young infants of 4.5 kilograms or less. The combination treatment, now being rolled out in Ghana, aims to fill a longstanding gap in treatments available for children under the age of 5, who constitute three quarters of the estimated 610,000 malaria deaths […] Continue reading -> Making Better Vaccine Choices in a Shifting Global Health Landscape 27/04/2026 Charlie Weller In an era of big global health budget cuts that often demand tough choices, identifying vaccine needs and priorities at national level is increasingly important. As we observe World Immunization Week, it’s time to recognize the pivotal role that National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) can play in guiding effective, evidence-based decisions – alongside global […] Continue reading -> Record ODA Cuts: Top Donors Slash Aid as Global Health Risks Grow 10/04/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Historic declines in Official Development Assistance (ODA) have set international aid back a decade, prompting civil society warnings that the ODA cuts will further devastate funding for global health, education and social protection. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary data showing total global aid fell by 23.1% in real terms during […] Continue reading -> WHO Contractor Killed in Gaza by Israeli Fire in Murky Circumstances 07/04/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization said it was “investigating” the circumstances around the Israeli shooting of a WHO contractor driving a vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, a WHO spokesperson refused to confirm or deny Israeli military claims that the vehicle […] Continue reading -> Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Outbreak Threats, Geopolitical Divides and Financial Crises Hover Over 79th World Health Assembly 18/05/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As the World Health Assembly opens on Monday in Geneva, it will have to grapple with shrinking global health budgets, new outbreak threats, including a new WHO declaration of a public health emergency in Africa over an Ebola virus strain that lacks any vaccine, and an increasingly fractured geopolitical space with deep disputes over Iran, […] Continue reading -> EU Announces Bold Global Health Resilience Initiative Amidst Geopolitical Ruptures 13/05/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The European Commission announced its long-awaited Global Health Resilience Initiative on Wednesday. While the policy roadmap aims to support partner countries’ transition toward health sovereignty amid historic aid cuts and shifting geopolitical realities, critics are concerned about its heavy reliance on private funding. As global health gains face a severe threat of reversal from stagnating […] Continue reading -> Experts Call for Review of Global Outbreak Response as Passengers Leave Ship Hit By Hantavirus 12/05/2026 Kerry Cullinan All passengers were evacuated from the cruise ship, Hondius, by Monday night – and a Spaniard taken to a military hospital in Madrid to quarantine has become the 11th person from the ship to test positive for hantavirus. The evacuation was completed 10 days after the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified about the outbreak […] Continue reading -> World Health Organization Gives Stamp of Approval to First Malaria Treatment for Young Infants 06/05/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has ‘pre-qualified’ Coartem® Baby, the first-ever malaria treatment for young infants of 4.5 kilograms or less. The combination treatment, now being rolled out in Ghana, aims to fill a longstanding gap in treatments available for children under the age of 5, who constitute three quarters of the estimated 610,000 malaria deaths […] Continue reading -> Making Better Vaccine Choices in a Shifting Global Health Landscape 27/04/2026 Charlie Weller In an era of big global health budget cuts that often demand tough choices, identifying vaccine needs and priorities at national level is increasingly important. As we observe World Immunization Week, it’s time to recognize the pivotal role that National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) can play in guiding effective, evidence-based decisions – alongside global […] Continue reading -> Record ODA Cuts: Top Donors Slash Aid as Global Health Risks Grow 10/04/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Historic declines in Official Development Assistance (ODA) have set international aid back a decade, prompting civil society warnings that the ODA cuts will further devastate funding for global health, education and social protection. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary data showing total global aid fell by 23.1% in real terms during […] Continue reading -> WHO Contractor Killed in Gaza by Israeli Fire in Murky Circumstances 07/04/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization said it was “investigating” the circumstances around the Israeli shooting of a WHO contractor driving a vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, a WHO spokesperson refused to confirm or deny Israeli military claims that the vehicle […] Continue reading -> Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
EU Announces Bold Global Health Resilience Initiative Amidst Geopolitical Ruptures 13/05/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The European Commission announced its long-awaited Global Health Resilience Initiative on Wednesday. While the policy roadmap aims to support partner countries’ transition toward health sovereignty amid historic aid cuts and shifting geopolitical realities, critics are concerned about its heavy reliance on private funding. As global health gains face a severe threat of reversal from stagnating […] Continue reading -> Experts Call for Review of Global Outbreak Response as Passengers Leave Ship Hit By Hantavirus 12/05/2026 Kerry Cullinan All passengers were evacuated from the cruise ship, Hondius, by Monday night – and a Spaniard taken to a military hospital in Madrid to quarantine has become the 11th person from the ship to test positive for hantavirus. The evacuation was completed 10 days after the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified about the outbreak […] Continue reading -> World Health Organization Gives Stamp of Approval to First Malaria Treatment for Young Infants 06/05/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has ‘pre-qualified’ Coartem® Baby, the first-ever malaria treatment for young infants of 4.5 kilograms or less. The combination treatment, now being rolled out in Ghana, aims to fill a longstanding gap in treatments available for children under the age of 5, who constitute three quarters of the estimated 610,000 malaria deaths […] Continue reading -> Making Better Vaccine Choices in a Shifting Global Health Landscape 27/04/2026 Charlie Weller In an era of big global health budget cuts that often demand tough choices, identifying vaccine needs and priorities at national level is increasingly important. As we observe World Immunization Week, it’s time to recognize the pivotal role that National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) can play in guiding effective, evidence-based decisions – alongside global […] Continue reading -> Record ODA Cuts: Top Donors Slash Aid as Global Health Risks Grow 10/04/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Historic declines in Official Development Assistance (ODA) have set international aid back a decade, prompting civil society warnings that the ODA cuts will further devastate funding for global health, education and social protection. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary data showing total global aid fell by 23.1% in real terms during […] Continue reading -> WHO Contractor Killed in Gaza by Israeli Fire in Murky Circumstances 07/04/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization said it was “investigating” the circumstances around the Israeli shooting of a WHO contractor driving a vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, a WHO spokesperson refused to confirm or deny Israeli military claims that the vehicle […] Continue reading -> Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Experts Call for Review of Global Outbreak Response as Passengers Leave Ship Hit By Hantavirus 12/05/2026 Kerry Cullinan All passengers were evacuated from the cruise ship, Hondius, by Monday night – and a Spaniard taken to a military hospital in Madrid to quarantine has become the 11th person from the ship to test positive for hantavirus. The evacuation was completed 10 days after the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified about the outbreak […] Continue reading -> World Health Organization Gives Stamp of Approval to First Malaria Treatment for Young Infants 06/05/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has ‘pre-qualified’ Coartem® Baby, the first-ever malaria treatment for young infants of 4.5 kilograms or less. The combination treatment, now being rolled out in Ghana, aims to fill a longstanding gap in treatments available for children under the age of 5, who constitute three quarters of the estimated 610,000 malaria deaths […] Continue reading -> Making Better Vaccine Choices in a Shifting Global Health Landscape 27/04/2026 Charlie Weller In an era of big global health budget cuts that often demand tough choices, identifying vaccine needs and priorities at national level is increasingly important. As we observe World Immunization Week, it’s time to recognize the pivotal role that National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) can play in guiding effective, evidence-based decisions – alongside global […] Continue reading -> Record ODA Cuts: Top Donors Slash Aid as Global Health Risks Grow 10/04/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Historic declines in Official Development Assistance (ODA) have set international aid back a decade, prompting civil society warnings that the ODA cuts will further devastate funding for global health, education and social protection. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary data showing total global aid fell by 23.1% in real terms during […] Continue reading -> WHO Contractor Killed in Gaza by Israeli Fire in Murky Circumstances 07/04/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization said it was “investigating” the circumstances around the Israeli shooting of a WHO contractor driving a vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, a WHO spokesperson refused to confirm or deny Israeli military claims that the vehicle […] Continue reading -> Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
World Health Organization Gives Stamp of Approval to First Malaria Treatment for Young Infants 06/05/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has ‘pre-qualified’ Coartem® Baby, the first-ever malaria treatment for young infants of 4.5 kilograms or less. The combination treatment, now being rolled out in Ghana, aims to fill a longstanding gap in treatments available for children under the age of 5, who constitute three quarters of the estimated 610,000 malaria deaths […] Continue reading -> Making Better Vaccine Choices in a Shifting Global Health Landscape 27/04/2026 Charlie Weller In an era of big global health budget cuts that often demand tough choices, identifying vaccine needs and priorities at national level is increasingly important. As we observe World Immunization Week, it’s time to recognize the pivotal role that National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) can play in guiding effective, evidence-based decisions – alongside global […] Continue reading -> Record ODA Cuts: Top Donors Slash Aid as Global Health Risks Grow 10/04/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Historic declines in Official Development Assistance (ODA) have set international aid back a decade, prompting civil society warnings that the ODA cuts will further devastate funding for global health, education and social protection. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary data showing total global aid fell by 23.1% in real terms during […] Continue reading -> WHO Contractor Killed in Gaza by Israeli Fire in Murky Circumstances 07/04/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization said it was “investigating” the circumstances around the Israeli shooting of a WHO contractor driving a vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, a WHO spokesperson refused to confirm or deny Israeli military claims that the vehicle […] Continue reading -> Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Making Better Vaccine Choices in a Shifting Global Health Landscape 27/04/2026 Charlie Weller In an era of big global health budget cuts that often demand tough choices, identifying vaccine needs and priorities at national level is increasingly important. As we observe World Immunization Week, it’s time to recognize the pivotal role that National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) can play in guiding effective, evidence-based decisions – alongside global […] Continue reading -> Record ODA Cuts: Top Donors Slash Aid as Global Health Risks Grow 10/04/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Historic declines in Official Development Assistance (ODA) have set international aid back a decade, prompting civil society warnings that the ODA cuts will further devastate funding for global health, education and social protection. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary data showing total global aid fell by 23.1% in real terms during […] Continue reading -> WHO Contractor Killed in Gaza by Israeli Fire in Murky Circumstances 07/04/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization said it was “investigating” the circumstances around the Israeli shooting of a WHO contractor driving a vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, a WHO spokesperson refused to confirm or deny Israeli military claims that the vehicle […] Continue reading -> Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Record ODA Cuts: Top Donors Slash Aid as Global Health Risks Grow 10/04/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Historic declines in Official Development Assistance (ODA) have set international aid back a decade, prompting civil society warnings that the ODA cuts will further devastate funding for global health, education and social protection. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary data showing total global aid fell by 23.1% in real terms during […] Continue reading -> WHO Contractor Killed in Gaza by Israeli Fire in Murky Circumstances 07/04/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization said it was “investigating” the circumstances around the Israeli shooting of a WHO contractor driving a vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, a WHO spokesperson refused to confirm or deny Israeli military claims that the vehicle […] Continue reading -> Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
WHO Contractor Killed in Gaza by Israeli Fire in Murky Circumstances 07/04/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization said it was “investigating” the circumstances around the Israeli shooting of a WHO contractor driving a vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday. Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, a WHO spokesperson refused to confirm or deny Israeli military claims that the vehicle […] Continue reading -> Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Unlocking the Power of the Private Sector for Stronger Health Systems 06/03/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading -> Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Innovative Finance Can Strengthen Fragile Health Systems 27/02/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Financial innovation is a key, underused tool that can be mustered to strengthen humanitarian outreach in crisis settings, while also strengthening public health systems over the long term, according to a new report published by The Geneva Health Forum. “New sources of financing are developing, breaking with the traditional vision of charitable action financed by […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts