Anonymous Donations to WHO Foundation Raise Questions

Nearly 40% of the money raised by the WHO Foundation in its first two years came from anonymous sources, worrying some that donors may be trying to influence the World Health Organization and its role in shaping global health policy with their gifts. The foundation, launched in 2020 to help raise private sector funds for the WHO, said it received $66 million in direct gifts through 2022, with $26 million coming from donors who chose not to be publicly named. Anil Soni, WHO Foundation CEO, tells the AP that the foundation's board, which includes a representative from the World Health Organization, knows the donors' identities and that the foundation will not accept a gift if there is a conflict of interest.

"They want to be anonymous because they're otherwise solicited or even targeted because they're seen to be a source of wealth," Soni says. "And I respect that." The foundation, which is based in Switzerland, is not required to disclose its donors. Some global health practitioners worry that anonymous donations make it harder to spot potential conflicts of interest. They say companies may donate to the foundation to influence the WHO's global health policies and reports that often have wide-ranging ramifications. For example, food and beverage companies took note last week when two branches of the WHO found that the sweetener aspartame—used in diet soda and countless foods—may be a "possible" cause of cancer.

"For the integrity of the WHO, I think it's really important that there's some greater transparency around this," Sophie Harman, professor of international politics at Queen Mary University of London, says of the anonymous donations, which include a single anonymous gift of $20 million to the foundation's operating expenses. The bulk of the WHO's funding comes from governments. But in 2020, with the onslaught of the pandemic and then-President Trump's move to withdraw from the WHO, many hoped the WHO Foundation might generate new financing from wealthy individuals, the private sector, and public fundraising campaigns. (More World Health Organization stories.)