Investing in Health & Care Workforce: Navigating Political Agenda Impact

Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), an Indonesian nonprofit focused on public health, will host a side event at WHA 78 to advance the commitment to strengthening global health governance through meaningful civil society involvement in the face of reduced multilateralism.

The global health sector is facing a critical moment as the funding landscape undergoes rapid and significant changes. In recent years, economic downturns, shifting political priorities, and reductions in foreign aid have contributed to major declines in global health financing. Key actors such as USAID and high-income countries have scaled back their international commitments, creating significant funding gaps that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

According to the World Bank, the annual financing gap for achieving health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in LMICs is projected to reach $370 billion by 2030, threatening the sustainability of essential health programs, progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and global health security (World Bank, 2023).

The upcoming 78th World Health Assembly (WHA 78), which will focus on strengthening health systems and resource mobilization, provides a critical platform to discuss these issues. It will address changing trends in health financing, explore innovative solutions, and promote collaboration to ensure health systems—particularly in LMICs—are resilient and adequately funded to address current and future health challenges.