Programme budget

Programme budget

WHO/P. Albouy
146th session of the WHO Executive Board, Geneva, Switzerland, 3-8 February 2020
© Credits

The General Programme of Work (GPW), approved by Member States, sets WHO’s strategic direction, priorities and overarching results framework. The Programme budget translates this strategy into biennial budgets, defining the outputs and deliverables to be achieved and the resources required for their delivery.

The Programme budget is a key tool through which Member States approve the Organization’s priorities and budget for each biennium, monitor progress towards agreed results, and oversee the Organization’s work and use of resources.

The Programme Budget digital platform provides key information on the Programme budget, including governing bodies documents, output narratives, digital dashboards and other resources.
 

Programme budget digital platform 2026–27
Programme budget digital platform 2024–25

WHO’s budget segments

The current approved Biennium Programme Budget for 2026–2027 is for US$ 6.2 billion.

WHO’s budget comprises four segments:

  • Base budget is the largest component and the scope is set by WHO, covering and work done across all three strategic priorities as well as the enabling functions ­– by country offices, regional office and headquarters.
  • Special programmes includes work done with additional governance structures, such as the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR); the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP); and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework.
  • The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) a public–private partnership led by national governments with five partners – the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the vaccine alliance. Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.
  • Emergency operations and appeals that responds to acute and protracted emergencies and disasters from any hazard with public health consequences. The amount of US$ 1 billion is an estimate that can be adjusted subject to reassessment based on outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Programme budget 2026-2027Allocations US$ million
Promote health399.9
Provide health1787.8
Protect health918.5
Power the global agenda577.2
Optimize WHO's performance583.7
Polio eradication
770.9
Special programmes168.7
Emergency operations and appeals1000
Total6206.7

 

WHO is fully transparent with its budget, donors and spending

WHO’s Programme Budget Portal provides precise details with quarterly updates of the Organization’s budget, financing and implementation progress along with yearly detailed programmatic reviews.

The Portal provides a breakdown of our work, budget and financing, contributors and more.

  • Our Programme of Work: a breakdown of WHO’s results hierarchy with links through to more detailed information on each one;
  • Budget and financing: an overview of the GPW budget; a quarterly breakdown of the budget and financing; more detailed financing by budget segment and result, along with our types of funds;
  • Regions: breakdown of each WHO region and its related Member States, detailing budget, financing and expenditure by results structure; and
  • Contributors: listing of all contributors, types of funding and amounts, and a dynamic graphic showing financial flow from contributors to regions and programmes.