The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday that it requires $1.5 billion in 2024 to provide essential aid to tens of millions of people facing urgent health crises, including those in Ukraine and Gaza.
The United Nations agency anticipates that around 300 million people worldwide will require humanitarian assistance and protection this year.
Among them, approximately 166 million individuals will need life-saving health assistance, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO, in Geneva.
He further stated that his organization is striving to reach around 87 million of the most vulnerable individuals and will need $1.5 billion to achieve this.
"With the start of 2024, the World Health Organization has responded to 41 health crises, including 15 of the most severe crises," he said.
Tedros cautioned that individuals living in such crises are facing a painful beginning to the new year after the tremendous suffering of 2023, which could have been avoided.
He also pointed out that one in every five children globally either lived in a conflict zone or fled from one in 2023, enumerating the crises witnessed worldwide last year, including wars in Ukraine, Sudan, and Gaza.
The Director-General of WHO warned of "severe health consequences," starting with "catastrophic hunger" resulting from droughts in the African Horn and the spread of deadly diseases due to changing climate patterns.
In 2023, funding appeals for health aid in various locations received only an average of 12% of the required funds, according to Tedros.
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