The World Health Organization has launched a global appeal to guarantee millions of people in humanitarian crises and conflicts access to health care.
For 2026 the appeal aims to raise almost US$1 billion to respond to 36 emergencies around the world, including 14 level‑3 emergencies that require the highest organisational response. These emergencies cover both sudden and prolonged humanitarian crises where health needs are critical.
WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the appeal is a call not just to provide services but to give people in conflict, displacement, and disaster situations the confidence that the world will not abandon them. “This is not charity. It is a strategic investment in health and safety” he added. He stressed that access to care restores dignity, stabilises communities, and offers a path to recovery.
The WHO’s 2026 emergency priorities include Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, the occupied Palestinian territories, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen, as well as ongoing outbreaks of cholera and monkeypox.
In 2025 the WHO and its partners, according to their own figures, supported 30 million people through their annual emergency appeal. These funds enabled life‑saving vaccinations for 5.3 million children, 53 million health consultations, support for more than 8 000 health facilities, and the deployment of 1 370 mobile clinics.