By Ayomide Otitoju
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed a new agreement formalizing a €5.25 million contribution from Spain to support critical WHO initiatives.
Announced on Friday, the funding was welcomed by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who commended Spain for its continued support and flexible financing. “We thank Spain for its increased flexible funding of our work, helping WHO be stronger and more independent,” he said.
The new agreement coincides with Spain’s return to the WHO Executive Board for the 2025–2028 term—its first membership in nearly 20 years. This engagement aligns with Spain’s recently launched Global Health Strategy and its growing investment in international health development.
Under the leadership of Antón Leis, AECID has scaled up its contributions as part of a broader €60 million pledge announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in November 2024. The funding will also support health initiatives in Jordan, Mali, Sudan, and global programmes focused on health systems strengthening.
Spain is also set to host the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville from June 30 to July 3, 2025. The conference will include a high-level event—co-sponsored by WHO—aimed at advancing health financing as a core pillar of sustainable economic development.
The upcoming “Seville Health Financing Agenda for Action” is expected to call for robust international collaboration to improve funding mechanisms for global health resilience.
