Brazil, US$33.1 million in arrears, is W.H.O.’s second largest debtor

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil is the World Health Organization’s (W.H.O.) second-largest debtor with arrears of US$33.1 million (R$176 million) between 2019-2020, according to Ministry of Economy data.

However, for the time being, the country is safe from losing its voting rights, as occurred with Venezuela. Bolivia has also been cautioned that unless it pays by next year’s World Health Assembly, it will no longer be eligible to vote.

This year, Brazil has paid four installments, totaling just over US$2 million in arrears for 2019-2020. For this year, it has an invoice of US$15 million to pay the organization. A portion of the debt is in dollars and another in Swiss francs.

Brazil is the 7th largest contributor to the W.H.O. regular budget – the bulk of expenses are actually covered by voluntary contributions. For 2022-2023, Brazil’s share of W.H.O. payments is 2.94%, compared to 2.7% for Canada. The bill is calculated based on the countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The largest debtor to the W.H.O. is the United States, with almost US$100 million in dollar debt alone, not including another portion in Swiss francs not disclosed by the W.H.O.

In total, the 194 member countries accumulate US$320 million in arrears to the organization, which is undergoing a crucial moment in the fight against Covid-19 while preparing for future pandemics.