The impact of the heavy reliance on voluntary contributions by the World Health Organization on member states

Abstract

International organizations are usually funded through two main sources, assessed contributions from member states and voluntary contributions. At the World Health Organization, voluntary contributions made up a large proportion of its budget. About 80 percent of its budget is funded by volunteer donors. The increasing dependence on this source of funding has undermined the role played by the member states of the organization. The organization's priorities became directed and led by private actors. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the largest funders of the World Health Organization. Much of the literature has criticized the financial situation of the organization, which contradicts multilateral practices and directs the organization's priorities towards issues that do not pose a significant threat to global health.

In this paper, we will analyze the legal framework governing the World Health Organization and its financing. We aim through this analysis to discover the role that members play in the organization. We argue that a heavy reliance on voluntary contributions has undermined the role of members in the organization. This dissertation concludes that there is a need to rebuild the confidence of members in the organization and confirm that it is managed by them to ensure the continued stability of the organization in its leadership position in global health.