Geneva, 14 June 2022 – The WHO Foundation and the Virchow Foundation for Global Health are delighted to announce their new partnership.
Both Foundations are committed to elevating awareness of global health and encouraging innovation towards finding solutions for its most pressing challenges. With eight years remaining to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), fostering partnerships to achieve greater impact and reach, remain a key asset in driving progress forward.
The WHO Foundation is a unique collaboration between the World Health Organization coordinating body and donors, who work together to create highly innovative solutions to global health issues. The WHO Foundation’s main aims are to support the global health ecosystem and promote health as a global public good by raising and providing financial resources for: addressing critical global health needs, encouraging innovation, effectiveness and rapid response to acute health needs globally and for neglected issues of a public health concern, in addition to strengthening the WHO’s work and priorities.
The Virchow Foundation for Global Health was established with the support of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, alongside civil society and leading experts within global health, to contribute to the improvement of health worldwide. This mission is advanced through the awarding of the Virchow Prize for Global Health. Endowed with €500,000, it is the first prestigious award of this kind which honours exceptional achievements in the broad field of global health, in close connection and inspiration with the UN SDGs.
Through this partnership, the Foundations aim to leverage their platforms and missions to advance the attainment of the SDGs to jointly foster awareness raising efforts and collaborative opportunities between relevant stakeholders within global health. The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding confirming their commitment to work together towards achieving these goals. Key activities include jointly organizing and facilitating meetings, as well as key global health events and the annual awarding of the Virchow Prize for Global Health.
WHO Foundation
The WHO Foundation was created as an independent Swiss foundation affiliated with but independent of WHO to marshal new resources from philanthropists, foundations, businesses, and individuals to support its mission: to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.
More information can be found on their website https://who.foundation/en
Virchow Foundation for Global Health
The Virchow Foundation for Global Health and the Virchow Prize for Global Health provide international platforms that raise awareness of current global health issues and award achievements which significantly improve the impact of these challenges. Headquartered in Berlin, the Virchow Foundation for Global Health is an independent non-profit foundation.
More information can be found on their website virchowprize.org
