Signing ceremony for contribution agreements between WHO and France

Geneva 17 October 2024 – This afternoon, His Excellency Mr Jérôme Bonnafont, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in Geneva, and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met in the WHO headquarters for the signing of seven contribution agreements.

The contribution totalling €24 million comes through the Ministry of Europe & Foreign Affairs. It fits in the France–WHO Framework Agreement for 2020 to 2025, which provides both a strategic framework for engagement, aligned with WHO priorities, while providing legal, administrative and financial instruments for operationalizing collaboration.

This latest contribution includes a generous €4.5 million in fully flexible voluntary funds for the Core Voluntary Contributions Account (CVCA).

Additionally, France will support key areas of WHO’s work, addressing some of the most pressing health challenges, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), urban health labs, One Health, funding for the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE), and several emergencies, such as the WHO response in Gaza, response to cholera outbreaks and mental health support in Ukraine.

France will also continue to support the WHO emergencies centre in Lyon which is playing a crucial role in preparedness and response to epidemics.

Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont underscored the importance of this collaboration: “France remains deeply committed to supporting the World Health Organization in its efforts to tackle critical global health challenges. These agreements reflect our shared priorities of promoting health equity, responding to emergencies, and strengthening healthcare systems worldwide.”