The year 2025 has emerged as a defining moment for global health, shaped by inter secting crises that demand urgent, coordi nated action. Against a backdrop of conflict, disease outbreaks, displacement and climate shocks, the WHO has launched a $1.5 billion Health Emergency Appeal to address the scale and complexity of mounting health threats
worldwide.1 2 This appeal is not merely a call for funding but is a recognition that the world is confronting a new era of health emergen cies that are increasingly frequent, protracted
and interconnected. Health systems around the world, particu larly in fragile and conflict- affected settings,
are being overwhelmed. Countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Ethiopia are expe riencing a breakdown in basic health infra structure owing to a confluence of insecurity,
underinvestment and escalating humanitarian needs.3–6 Simultaneously, outbreaks of infec tious diseases, such as cholera, measles and monkeypox (mpox) are surfacing in multiple

countries, compounding the suffering of
already vulnerable populations.3 4 WHO’s
country- specific appeals highlight how local
emergencies are no longer contained within
national borders; they have evolved into
regional and global health security concerns
that demand international collaboration and
solidarity