WHA72 adopts programme budget for 2020-21

The World Health Assembly (WHA) last week adopted the budget for 2020-21 (in A72/4). The DG, Dr Tedros, was chastised by the Programme and Administration Committee (PBAC) of the WHO Executive Board (EB), in A72/63, for the late release of what is a complex budget and an even more complex 'Impact Framework' . Russia and Japan both commented on the delay in their contributions to the WHA debate.  
Several member states (MS) commented on inadequacies in the budget and its near total dependence on donor funding. Thailand expressed concern about tightly earmarked voluntary contributions constituting 84% of total anticipated revenues and called on the Assembly to increase the level of assessed (mandatory) contributions and for donors to untie their voluntary contributions. PHM has repeatedly pointed out that the freezing of assessed contributions and tight earmarking of voluntary contributions are part of a deliberate strategy to enable the rich countries to retain control over WHO's operations.  This donor control strategy is played out across the whole UN system. 
Several member states pointed to impossible expenditure choices being forced on WHO.  While WHO and its donors pursue the vision of polio eradication, expenditure on TB, malaria and AIDS/HIV stagnates and health system strengthening and action on the social determinants of health remain grossly underfunded. 
WHO's budget is woefully inadequate, not just at the margins but by orders of magnitude, a fact which was alluded to in the Assembly by Germany, China, Thailand and South Africa.
For full coverage of WHO's Programme Budget for 2020-2021 see PHM comment page including the WHO watchers' notes of the debate.
Access all of the papers and debates from the World Health Assembly from the Tracker at who-track.phmovement.org/wha72. 

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