WHO’S HEALTH EMERGENCY APPEAL 2026
Statement Norway
delivered by Ms Marita Sørheim-Rensvik,
Minister, Deputy Permanent Representative.
Check against delivery
3 February 2026
Today we have heard about people living through conflict, disaster, and displacement, and about health workers serving them.
Humanitarian workers, including healthcare workers, are heroes in today’s conflicts. Not least the national staff. Often receiving little or no pay, going long days and nights without sleep, months, even years away from their families. And, they are frequently being attacked, seemingly deliberately.
They put their lives on the line to help others. From Palestine to Ukraine and Sudan, attacks on health care devastate health systems and cost lives. In 2025 alone, the WHO verified 1,350 attacks, killing nearly 2,000 patients and health workers. Outrageous.
International Humanitarian Law is crystal-clear on the obligation to protect civilians. Attacks must stop immediately, and we must do what we can, to make them.
That’s why Norway has supported WHO’s “Attacks on health care” project since 2018. It tracks and verifies attacks, and documents the casualties they cause. Working to make both patients and staff safer.
When a crisis hits, we often see pictures of field hospitals, hear interviews with foreign doctors and nurses, dealing with man-made or natural disasters, including climate-change enhanced weather shocks like floods, drought and hurricanes. Such a surge of capacity is very welcome, and a testament to a health-ecosystem that has developed over the years.
The WHO coordinates this emergency health-response, often, like in Gaza during the war, playing an essential role in maintaining a pipeline of medical supplies to regular hospitals and emergency hospitals alike.
The WHO supports the regular health care system before, during, and after disaster strikes. Behind the scenes, often less visible for foreign TV viewers, the WHO is supporting the national and local health services; Local clinics that treat minor health issues before they become major ones. Large hospitals that deal with complex and severe injuries or diseases. They keep lifesaving health services running, in crises, but also when there is no crisis.
The WHO is key in supporting the detection of outbreaks of disease, and their containment. The crisis we never heard about, because it never happened.
Finally, the WHO plays an important role in healthcare systems, providing amongst other sexual and reproductive health services. That allow both men and women, boys and girls, people with disabilities and the chronically ill, the services they need to live their lives as healthy as possible.
Norway is pleased to support the WHO’s work to support and strengthen the health system, in order to reach all groups of people with assistance. Because inclusion is right – and the only way to a healthy and thriving community.
As we are launching the WHO’s Emergency Appeal for 2026, I have been encouraged to share some about Norwegian support.
We all know that the humanitarian situation in a large number of crisis-affected countries is dire. Needs are increasing while funding is decreasing.
The money must last as long as possible. Norway expects our humanitarian partners to do their utmost to collaborate and find joint solutions, to reduce cost and enhance efficiency. To use local staff and organizations when possible, and international staff and organizations when necessary. The WHO suppors the national and emergency health systems to achieve this goal.
Another way to get money to last longer, is to provide flexible and predictable contributions. This is on us as donors. All Norway’s support to the WHO’s country-level health appeals is un-earmarked. We also provide multi-year support, and funding for pooled emergency funds, which allows our partners to disburse funds quickly without external approval-routines when a new crisis occurs. The WHO’s Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE), in one such pooled fund. We have supported CFE every year since 2018. Last year, like the year before, we gave about 5 million USD.
The beauty of the CFE is that it allows the WHO to allocate funding at the start of, or even before a crisis happens, thereby saving time, resources, and more lives. And if a donor later decides to support this particular country-situation, the money goes back to the CFE. In this way, the funding can effectively be used over and over to provide the most efficient and effective assistance.
Norway will continue to support emergency pooled funding mechanisms in 2026, aiming to provide as unearmarked funding as possible. We have already disbursed 100 mill. NOK for Palestine and 55 mill. NOK for Ukraine, to be used towards the WHO 2026 Emergency Appeals. And it is our intention is to further support the WHO’s 2026 Appeals with a significant amount.
I would like to end with encouraging us all to embrace continued international solidarity, ensuring that health remains at the heart of humanitarian action. And to continue providing unearmarked and predictable funding to WHO. It does really make a difference.
Thank you.
