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Countries must pay more towards WHO: Indonesian candidate

Budi told AFP the UN's health agency should focus on reprioritising its spending rather than chasing replacement funding -- allocating bigger amounts for fewer projects.

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Mon, November 2, 2026 Published on Nov. 2, 2026 Published on 2026-11-02T18:54:27+07:00

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin answers journalists' questions via live zoom during the ministry's press conference in Jakarta on April 21, 2025. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S)

H

ealth Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who is vying for the World Health Organization's top job, said Monday he was in favour of countries paying higher mandatory contributions to offset the slash to its budget from the US withdrawal.

Budi told AFP the UN's health agency should focus on reprioritising its spending rather than chasing replacement funding -- allocating bigger amounts for fewer projects.

"The priority is to review the functions (of the WHO), get the agreement of the countries and then... we look for the (new) money," said the minister, who is one of seven candidates for the post of WHO director general.

The first place to look for new funding would be from within, he said.

"Every country says the WHO needs to be sustainable. You cannot be sustainable if your membership contribution is only 20 percent or 30 percent" of the total budget, Budi said.

"If you want to be sustainable, then at least the regular funding... should be more than 50 percent."

Member countries make mandatory payments called "assessed contributions" to the WHO, which are calculated every two years based on income and population size.