New financing will enable the GFF to deliver its current strategy and support deeper reforms in countries in fragile settings with high levels of maternal and child mortality

 

November 4, 2024, WASHINGTON D.C. — Partners are investing over US$115 million of new financing in the GFF, in addition to the contributions announced at World Health Summit last year to improve health outcomes for women, children and adolescents. This brings the total raised through the Deliver the Future campaign to US$568 million.1

As partner countries deepen and expand their commitment to health, the funds will be used to drive GFF second-round grants and technical assistance to close health equity gaps and improve health outcomes in hard-to-reach communities. Funding will also be channeled towards accelerating progress in Nigeria and Mali by aligning bilateral funds to support investment case priorities through government systems.

These new funds comprise:

  • US$27 million from Germany, US$40 million from Norway, and US$10 million from Japan.
  • An additional US$40 million from donors, including Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Netherlands. This funding will be directed towards closing investment case gaps for Nigeria and Mali.

Co-hosted by the governments of Côte d’Ivoire, Germany, and the Netherlands, in partnership with the World Bank, the 2023–2024 resource mobilization campaign, Deliver the Future, has allowed new donors to join the GFF partnership as well as renewed commitments from existing donors.

With the Deliver the Future campaign coming to an end, the GFF would like to thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, USAID, The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the governments of Germany, Japan, Norway, and The Netherlands for their contributions and all of the partners for their continued support and commitment to this critical agenda.

The world is far off-track in meeting its maternal and child health goals. The fiscal challenges facing countries demand new ways of working to bend the curve on health outcomes. This funding comes at a critical time. Today, the health of women, children and adolescents remains significantly underinvested in, against a backdrop of a decade of stagnating development assistance for maternal and reproductive health. At the same time, climate change continues to have spillover effects on health and rights, with particularly detrimental impacts on women and girls.

Today marks the end of the campaign and showed how donors, countries and CSOs rallied around this critical agenda. However, with the increased demand for GFF support, additional financing will be needed to deepen its support in GFF countries and expand to new ones. The GFF will continue to work with partners and funders to secure more and better financing to crash maternal and child mortality and ensure better health and rights for women, children and adolescents.

Mamta Murthi, People Vice President, World Bank, said: “Investing in women’s and youth health is vital for economic growth and prosperity. Through the GFF partnership, countries are proving that strong collaboration and effective strategies can drive lasting health improvements. While these essential funds support progress, more resources are needed to fully fund this critical agenda. We are grateful to the Deliver the Future campaign co-hosts, donors, and partners for their commitment to advancing health outcomes for women, children and adolescents at this pivotal moment.”

Pierre N’Gou Dimba, Minister of Health, Public Hygiene, and Universal Health Coverage, Côte d'Ivoire, said: “The GFF is an essential development partner. In Côte d'Ivoire, this partnership helps us unite and align all stakeholders around our health priorities, and focus our efforts on high-impact interventions for women and children. Thanks to the support of the GFF, we have noted a significant improvement in the care of women, children, and adolescents. It also provides us with valuable technical support to reform the health financing system and sustainably strengthen our health capacities. As a co-host of the Deliver the Future campaign, we must underscore the urgency of this work and call on partners to continue to make it a priority.”

Pascalle Grotenhuis, Director-General for International Cooperation, The Netherlands, said: “The GFF has never been more critical to advancing equality and improving the health and rights for women and youth. We are pleased to be continuing our longstanding partnership and extend our support to deepen coverage of reproductive, maternal, newborn child and adolescent health and nutrition services, as well as necessary reforms to build the foundations of a strong and sustainable health system.”

Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, said: “Only girls who are healthy and able to make decisions about their own bodies can grow up to become educated and self-sufficient women who enjoy the same rights, resources and representation as men. The GFF is one of the most powerful tools to make this a reality – which is why the German government intends to continue its commitment to the GFF Trust Fund. We look forward to continuing working together to create a more equal world.“

Daiho Fujii, Deputy Vice Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Finance of Japan, said: “Investing in child and maternal health is among the most cost-effective steps a country can take to secure long-term economic growth and progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). We particularly support the GFF’s ongoing focus on nutrition, a powerful catalyst for growth. The GFF has been instrumental in driving these efforts forward, and we are proud of what has been achieved so far. However, there is still much more to accomplish. We look forward to continued collaboration to reach our shared goal.”

Tjedu Moyo, founder and executive director of Lunia Centre for Youths in Zimbabwe and a youth representative for the GFF Investors Group, said: “With climate change eroding hard-won rights, prioritizing women and girls means protecting their rights and their health. There is much work to do and these commitments are a step towards greater investment in our collective futures.”

Oyeyemi Pitan, founder and executive director at GEM Hub Initiative, and CSO representative to the GFF Investors Group, said: “We have the solutions – and we know what needs to be done. With countries in the driver’s seat implementing their health and development plans, and global partners working with the GFF and aligning behind these countries, I am optimistic that together we can achieve better health outcomes for women and girls and bring about lasting and meaningful change.”

Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister of International Development, Norway, said: “Eight years ago, Norway was among the founders of the GFF – the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents. Since then, there has been great progress in reducing global maternal and child mortality. As the world grapples with multiple crises that are having a major impact in developing countries, Norway will commit NOK 425 million of new funding to the GFF. Safeguarding the rights and health of women, children and adolescents through support for health system strengthening is key to improve global health.”

Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank; GFF Director, said: “We thank all of our existing and new donors for their additional support; this will not only save lives but transform opportunities for millions of women and adolescents. However, we are also hearing loud and clear from civil society and communities the need to raise the ambition to collectively deliver on our global commitments and that women, children and adolescent health is not pushed back. The GFF stands ready to work with partners and donors to ensure that more financing is directed towards this agenda. ”

1. Amount based on exchange rates as of September 30, 2024.

ENDS//

CONTACTS

Sheryl Silverman: ssilverman@worldbankgroup.org, +1 410.868.4664

Nansia Constantinou: nconstantinou@worldbankgroup.org, +1 202.492.0096

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the Global Financing Facility (GFF)

The GFF is a country-led partnership, hosted by the World Bank, that fights poverty and inequity by advancing the health, rights and opportunities of women, children and adolescents. It does this by supporting low- and lower-middle-income countries to strengthen their health systems and improve the quality of and access to health care through prioritized plans, aligned financing, and policy reform. The GFF’s collaborative model brings together a wide range of partners — from bilateral and multilateral funders, partner countries, and global health institutions to civil society organizations (CSOs), youth representatives, and the private sector — to align their support around country priorities for women, children and adolescent health. Through its 2021–2025 strategy, the GFF supports governments to make impactful investments across key strategic directions to accelerate progress toward better health for women, children and adolescents and build more inclusive and resilient health systems. As of June 30, 2023, the GFF Trust Fund committed a total of US$1.45 billion for grants in 38 countries. Out of this amount, a total of US$1.19 billion linked to US$8.75 billion in World Bank IDA/IBRD has been approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors.