The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has allocated a US$10 million grant to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support the Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP), an initiative aimed at building resilient primary health care systems.

This funding, announced during the COP29 climate conference in Baku on 12 November 2024, underpins the global effort to strengthen health and climate resilience in low- and middle-income countries.

The HIIP, a collaboration between WHO, multilateral development banks, and beneficiary nations, focuses on sustainable, climate-resilient health services. The IsDB grant will specifically aid WHO's technical assistance in evaluating investment needs and designing high-impact health projects.

This initiative is expected to unlock at least US$500 million in health investments, part of a broader goal to raise US$1.5 billion for concessional loans and grants addressing critical health priorities.

WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work includes goals to bolster climate resilience, develop national climate adaptation plans, and ensure 10,000 health facilities are fully operational, including those with solar power.

IsDB President Dr Muhammad Al Jasser highlighted the bank’s dedication to universal health coverage and resilient healthcare in member nations, while WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus underscored the need for sustainable financing to make health systems more equitable and pandemic-resistant.

The first phase of HIIP will benefit 15 countries, including Egypt, Morocco, and Zambia, aiming to enhance healthcare and improve lives globally.

Source: World Health Organisation (WHO)