WHO CVC 2022-2025

The results report for 2022 is a midterm report for the biennium 2022-23 programme budget and is thus focusing on output and scorecard reporting. The reporting also uses impact stories to exemplify impact at country level, these can be found on the WHO website. A summary of progress toward the triple billion targets and SDGs: WHO reported an estimated 14.9 million excess deaths globally in 2020-2021 as a result of the COVID19 pandemic reversing years of improvement in population health in many countries around the world. The effort to assess the true toll of the COVID19 pandemic on population health at country, regional and global levels was joined by other United Nations entities and leading scientists worldwide, who consulted extensively with Member States using an effective online country portal supported by the World Health Data Hub. An update on both the magnitude and age/sex distribution of the excess mortality is ongoing and is expected to bring more clarity to the impacts of the pandemic on the triple billion targets and the health related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The world is off track to reach most of the triple billion targets and the health related Sustainable Development Goals. Urgent action is needed to accelerate progress, or the world may fall further off track. In summary: Healthier populations: The indicators for healthier populations are influenced by multisectoral policy actions to address determinants of health. Substantial progress has been made, and the current trajectory indicates that this target will likely be met by 2025 however, this will be insufficient progress to be on track to reach the related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. For example, the global age standardized prevalence of tobacco use remains high. The prevalence of adult obesity continues to be on the rise in all WHO regions, with no immediate sign of reversal. Air pollution has not been tackled in many areas of the world. Data from the pandemic period continue to be sparse, so the full extent of the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic on various health determinants and policies is not yet quantified. Universal health coverage: The world is off track to meet the universal health coverage billion target by 2025 and related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The disruptions caused by the COVID19 pandemic have had a significant impact on many indicators, only some of which are recovering. Overall measures of progress are largely driven by increased HIV service coverage. Service coverage for routine childhood vaccination, malaria, tuberculosis, noncommunicable and other diseases and preventive services all continue to lag, while indicators for financial hardship have worsened. Health emergencies protection: Progress in health emergencies protection is not on track to reach the billion target by 2025. Improvement in preparedness, measured through core capacities related to the International Health Regulations (2005) and reflected by the Prepare indicator, contributed positively in 2022. However, pandemic related disruptions to high priority pathogen vaccination programmes, measured under the Prevent indicator, need to be resolved. Efforts are continuing in order to assess the best way to measure health emergencies protection, including the integration of timeliness targets for detection, notification and response to health emergencies. Key Results 2022-23: Healthier populations pillar (including climate, environment and health and AMR): The current trajectory indicates that the target of 1 billion more people enjoying better health and well-being will likely be met by 2025, driven primarily by improvements in air quality and access to water, sanitation and hygiene measures (e.g. with respect to the particulate matter 2.5 standard, clean household fuels, safely managed sanitation). However, progress will be insufficient to reach all the health-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, with only one target projected to be met (target 3.a. on tobacco use). For example, the prevalence of adult obesity continues to be on the rise in all WHO regions, with no immediate sign of reversal. Ambient air pollution continues to be a challenge in many areas of the world. There also continue to be challenges related to the limited availability of data on some outcome indicators included under this triple billion target, which in turn adds limitations to understanding the trajectory and impact of WHOs work on health policy and health determinants (e.g. interpersonal violence and childhood development). For the first time, a day was dedicated to health at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28). However, more ambitious action is needed and the WHO Secretariat will provide support by guiding countries in reducing air pollution and implementing the COP26 commitments to build a climate-resilient, low-carbon and sustainable health system. Another 13 countries implemented best practice policies to eliminate industrially produced trans-fatty acids in the food supply during the biennium, bringing the total to 53 countries. However, more than half of the worlds population are still not covered by trans-fatty acids best practices and the WHO Secretariat has started to validate whether countries have a framework with a best practice policy as well as robust monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. Tobacco use is declining in 150 countries, 56 of which are on track to achieve the global target for reducing tobacco use by 2025. However, the relative reduction in global tobacco use projected for 2025 falls short of the 30% target and the WHO Secretariat is working with more than 40 countries to strengthen tobacco control policies at the highest level in order to reduce tobacco use. An additional 29 countries developed multisectoral national action plans on antimicrobial resistance during the biennium 20222023, bringing the total to 178 countries, while the number of countries reporting data on resistant infections has more than tripled in the last seven years. However, only 11% of countries have dedicated national budgets for implementing their national action plans, highlighting the need for enhanced commitments at the United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance to be held in September 2024. Universal Health Coverage pillar: The world is off track to meet the target of 1 billion more people benefiting from universal health coverage by 2025 and to meet the related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, 30% of countries have bucked the global trend and are making progress on both the coverage of essential health services and the provision of financial protection. The overall measures of progress are largely driven by increased HIV service coverage. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to many indicators, such as those on routine childhood vaccination and tuberculosis, are recovering but still require concerted effort to close the gaps and accelerate action towards the Sustainable Development Goals. During the biennium, the worlds first malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS01, was administered to 2 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, resulting in a vaccine- attributable 13% drop in all cause mortality among children who are age-eligible for vaccination. WHO also recently issued prequalification approval for a second vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, and recommended its use in children. For its part, the WHO Secretariat is working to support 26 high-burden malaria countries to be on track for achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals targets by 2025. More than 75% of people living with HIV globally are receiving antiretroviral therapy and almost all of those who are receiving treatment are achieving viral suppression, in part due to the strong uptake of WHO guidance. We are beginning to see a path towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals target of ending the HIV epidemic: six countries have achieved the 95-95-95 goals for the control of HIV and an additional 16 countries are close to doing so, while Botswana became the first high-burden country to be certified by WHO for achieving an HIV case rate of fewer than 500 per 100 000 live births. This demonstrates that an AIDS-free generation is possible. A total of 14 countries eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease during the biennium 2022-2023. This brings to 50 the number of countries acknowledged by WHO as having eliminated a neglected tropical disease, marking the halfway point towards the 100-country target set for 2030. Sustained political commitment remains critical to achieving the target. 20. The 2022 rounded estimates indicate a reduction in the projected global health workforce shortage from the earlier estimate of 18 million to 10 million by 2030. However, there are several regional variations for example, the African and the Eastern Mediterranean regions will have an increasing share of the total health workforce shortage in 2030 and the WHO Secretariat is working to support countries, particularly those that will bear an increasing share of the total health workforce shortage in 2030, to stimulate investments in workforce education and employment. Since 2017, more than 142 000 WHO non-communicable disease kits have been distributed to 28 countries, territories and areas affected by conflicts and/or natural disasters and placed in humanitarian hubs including South Sudan, Ukraine and the West Bank and Gaza Strip making it one of the most purchased emergency kits. However, people affected by humanitarian emergencies are at increased risk of non-communicable diseases, with 1 in 23 of the worlds population in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023. Health Emergencies Protection Pillar The Pandemic Fund made its first round of disbursements amounting to US$ 338 million to 37 countries in 2023. The WHO Secretariat is working to increase preparedness for emergencies in all countries, as measured through International Health Regulations (2005) States Parties self-assessment annual reporting, and to support countries through the grant management process for the Pandemic Fund. There has been a 62% increase (from 103 to 167) in the proportion of Member States with genomic sequencing capability for SARS-CoV-2 between February 2021 and December 2023. Further collaborative investments in foundational laboratory and surveillance systems are needed by WHO Member States and partner organizations. In 2023, 62 million persons were protected for life from yellow fever; 1.4 million people were vaccinated against meningitis in Niger and Nigeria; and 36 million of the 74 million doses of the oral cholera vaccine requested by 14 countries were provided. The WHO Secretariat anticipates that the production of the oral cholera vaccine could rise if a simplified formulation is prequalified, which would contribute to completing the restoration of vaccine coverage of at-risk groups for epidemic- and pandemic-prone diseases to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. The Contingency Fund for Emergencies released US$ 79 million, in as little as 24 hours, to 22 graded emergencies in 2023. There has been a steep increase in humanitarian health needs on a global scale, driven by overlapping and interacting aggravating factors, including the accelerating effects of climate change, increased conflict and insecurity, increasing food insecurity, weakened health systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturns and new infectious disease outbreaks.

The World Health Organization/WHO is the UN's specialist body for health issues with the task of leading and coordinating international health efforts, supporting the governments of member countries in implementing the best possible health and medical care policies and acting as a coordinating authority in global health work. WHO's overall goal is stated in the organization's constitution and is "that all people should achieve the highest possible level of health". WHO's goals are primarily described through two guiding documents: the strategic work programme, the General Program of Work (GPW13) and the program budget. The work program for 20192025 is the thirteenth in the order, is based on Agenda 2030 and specifies WHO's three strategic priorities called the "triple billion goals". The triple billion goals mean that one billion more people will have access to universal health coverage (UHC), one billion more people will be better protected against health-related emergencies and one billion more people should live healthier lives. The work program also includes a fourth prioritization aimed at strengthening efficiency within WHO and improving support for member states. The support mainly consists of flexible and non-earmarked funds for the implementation of the WHO program budget for 2022-2023 and extended for 2024 in line with GPW13, as well as of a smaller soft-earmarked component dedicated to the goal of healthy lives and the work on health/climate, environment and biodiversity. The contribution is a co-financing between two strategies where the majority of the funds are channeled via the strategy for Sweden's global development cooperation in sustainable social development (a total of 389,5 mSEK) and a smaller part via the strategy for Sweden's global development cooperation in the environment, climate and biodiversity (a total of 45 mSEK). Based on the in-depth appraisal that led to the decision, Sida's support package to the WHO is deemed necessary to strengthen the multilateral health work at global, regional and national level through an efficient and reformed WHO. The contribution is considered more relevant than ever in light of the enormous burden that the pandemic has and continues to cause on health systems around the world, where the greatest challenges are found in low- and middle-income countries. Here, WHO's presence and technical support is considered crucial to alleviate suffering, reduce poverty and health differences between groups and countries, as well as in the work to achieve the global goals, above all goal 3 on good health and well-being.