Fiona Zublin

Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou, director of the performance, financing, and delivery department at the World Health Organization, spoke to Devex about rhetoric vs. reality when it comes to health sovereignty and financing. Everyone at the World Health Assembly in Geneva this week understands the importance of healthcare — but the question is how to pay for it.

Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., director of PAHO, talks how the organization has worked around missing contributions from its former largest contributor. The United States exit from the World Health Organization — and contention over terms and its unpaid dues — is a big topic at this year’s World Health Assembly, or WHA79. But it has seemingly maintained its membership in another major health coalition, the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO.

The cuts will mean a stronger focus on front-line work and conflict zones. The International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, will shed at least 2,900 positions next year as a result of declining donor contributions, the global humanitarian organization has announced. This represents about 16% of its 18,000-strong workforce, of which about 1,000 work at the ICRC’s head office in Geneva, Switzerland.