The World Health Organisation said it received pledges worth $700 million (AED 2.5 billion) for its 2025-2028 budget at a event in Berlin on Monday, in addition to $300 million (AED 1.1 billion) already pledged by the European and African Unions.
"The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that when health is at risk, everything is at risk," WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the event. "Investments in WHO are therefore investments not only in protecting and promoting health, but also in more equitable, more stable and more secure societies and economies."
Germany said it would provide at least 360 million euros ($392.47 million). It and the United States are the biggest country donors to the Geneva-based organization.
"Recently, just a handful of countries have provided large amounts of funding," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. "It would be better for us to spread the responsibility across many more shoulders."
"Every contribution counts – no matter how small."
WHO members agreed two years ago to overhaul its funding model which has been described as "fundamentally rotten" due to its over-reliance on the whims of donors.
The agreement means obligatory fees should rise to up to 50 per cent of the budget by 2030-2031 from just 16 per cent in recent years.
The United Nations on Tuesday dismissed as "ridiculous" an assertion by Israel that there was enough food in the Gaza Strip to last for a long period of time, despite the closure of all 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme (WFP).
United Nations officials who surveyed earthquake damage in Myanmar urged the global community to ramp up aid before the looming monsoon season worsens already catastrophic conditions, with the death toll at 2,719 and expected to surpass 3,000.
Syria suffered a nationwide power outage on Tuesday night due to malfunctions at several points in the national grid, a spokesperson from the energy ministry told Reuters.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting and killing the CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance division Brian Thompson in New York last year.
Aid groups in Myanmar on Tuesday described scenes of devastation and desperation after an earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, stressing an urgent need for food, water and shelter and warning the window to find survivors was fast closing.
Broadcasting every weekday, Georgia Tolley goes beyond the headlines to speak to government ministers, decision makers, analysts and local experts to find out how the news will impact those of us living in the UAE.
Every weekday afternoon, Helen Farmer will help you to navigate the highs and lows of life in the UAE. Stay up to date with what’s happening and where to go.
Apple Inc. shares fell Monday after a closely followed analyst warned that demand for the firm’s new iPhone 16 Pro model has been lower than expected. Is this a sign that the AI software just isn’t ready?
Dubai’s current population is more than double compared to almost twenty years ago, which now stands at 3.7 million. Lots of families are also moving to the UAE now. So what does it mean for the property market?