WHO RC75 - EU Statement - Item 6 – Programme budget matters

Honourable chair,

Distinguished Regional Director,

Excellencies,

Dear colleagues,

I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States.

We thank the Regional Director for the comprehensive update on programme budget matters and the 2025 Accountability Report. The significant progress made in strengthening transparency, efficiency, and accountability across WHO/Europe, especially under exceptional financial and operational constraints, is exemplary.

The Region now faces the dual challenge of delivering under a reduced budget while ensuring technical excellence and maintaining continuity of essential technical cooperation. Looking towards the next biennium, we commend the Secretariat’s efforts to realign priorities and resources through the strategic reprioritization and restructuring process. It is essential to align available resources with the forthcoming Second European Programme of Work and GPW 14, protecting normative and advisory capacities, maintaining a strong country presence where meaningful, and seeking coherence across all levels of the Organization while identifying synergies with partners including through the UN80 process and the reform of the global health architecture. To ensure global efficiency, this process must be carried out in full cooperation with WHO headquarters and other regional offices.

We further stress the need for robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that restructuring leads to measurable improvements in effectiveness, impact and value for money. We welcome the combined focus in the Programme Budget 2026/2027 document on the financial outlook and the human resources situation, and recommend that this approach is continued for 2026 in order that Member States have a clear overview of the financial and human resources available to support implementation in the next biennium. Human resources must also be analysed not only in terms of quantity, but of expertise. Accountability, inclusivity, and transparency must remain guiding principles throughout the transformation process. We look forward to the briefing for Member States, which is due to present the final results of the restructuring plan before the end of 2025. We would also welcome it, if the January SCRC session, at which the programme budget implementation plan is to be presented, could be open to all Member States.

The EU and its Member States underline the importance of predictable, flexible, and sustainable financing to enable WHO/Europe to respond effectively to health priorities. The current imbalance between earmarked and flexible funds limits the Organization’s ability to address cross-cutting needs and emerging health challenges. We therefore encourage continued expansion of multi-year and flexible funding arrangements, as set out by the Investment Round. Given the limited proportion of resources, we stress the importance of financially supporting WHO Europe. We equally stress the importance of more balanced contribution amongst Member States and of donor diversification. 

Finally, we reaffirm our commitment to a strong and effective WHO at all levels. The breadth and pace of the European Region’s reforms can set a precedent for resilience and innovation across the Organization, ensuring that WHO continues to deliver on its mandate to promote health, protect against threats, and serve all people equally.

Thank you.