WHO receives nearly $1 billion in new funding at Berlin summit

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday announced it had received nearly $700 million in new funding and another $300 million in re-affirmed pledges during a financing summit in Berlin.

It comes under a new financing mechanism that was launched in May, which aims to raise billions of dollars for the UN agency's budget through to 2028 that can be deployed more quickly and flexibly -- and hopefully save millions of lives.

"We know that we are making this ask at a time of competing priorities and limited resources. That's why I have asked every Member State and every partner to step up. Every contribution counts," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz committed nearly $400 million to the WHO over the next four years, which included more than $260 million in new voluntary funding.

"The WHO's work benefits us all," Scholz said, adding that it needs "sustainable financing that gives it the certainty to plan ahead and the flexibility to react".

Several other countries and organisations have already announced pledges, including 16 African nations.

The WHO has traditionally relied on commitments from its 194 member states but often these are apportioned to specific projects with several conditions attached, including deadlines that can prove too short.

The new financing mechanism seeks to raise $7 billion towards its budget of $11.1 billion over the next four years.

The WHO will seek another round of pledges in November at a G20 summit in Brazil.