The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted a significant imbalance in global spending priorities in response to emergencies, as outlined in its '2026 Health Emergency Response Appeal' report released in February. With around 48 instances of war and emergencies emerging in 79 countries, affecting over 30 million people, the report underscores the urgent need for health services, especially in regions like Gaza where hospital damage has reached alarming levels. The WHO noted that about 94% of hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, resulting in a critical demand for long-term rehabilitation due to extensive injuries suffered by over 42,000 individuals, exacerbated by a collapsed healthcare system.

The situation in Sudan is equally dire, with 13.6 million people displaced and a healthcare system severely compromised, amid overlapping crises like famine, cholera outbreaks, and sexual violence. This scenario has been classified as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies currently worldwide. In response, the WHO reported that it has supplied over 3,378 tons of medical supplies and operated stabilization centers for more than 112,400 severely acutely malnourished children, indicating ongoing emergency care and epidemic response efforts since April 2023.

Despite the increasing need for humanitarian and health funding, the WHO specifies that its budget has seen the largest reduction in the last decade, while global military expenditures have surpassed $2.5 trillion. WHO emphasizes the critical imbalance between spending on creating crises and resolving them, warning that the costs associated with unaddressed conflicts lead to transnational challenges such as infectious disease outbreaks, forced migration, supply chain disruptions, and escalating instability, impacting the entire global community.