International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

The WHO Foundation Needs Stronger Safeguards Against Health-Harming Industries

Document Type : Letter to Editor

Authors
SHORE and Whariki Research Centre, College of Health, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
Keywords

Dear Editor,

We write to raise our concerns about the acceptance by the World Health Organization Foundation (WHOF) of a donation from an alcohol and tobacco retailer.

WHOF is an entity separate from World Health Organization (WHO) but created to mobilise new funding sources for WHO in difficult times, including from philanthropic foundations, businesses, and individuals. ...(Read more...)

1.   CCS Fundraising. WHO Foundation External Evaluation Report. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/68da475d02f08155b73adad0/6a04a771f826409e16b5966d_WHO%20Foundation%20Evaluation%20Report%20Summary_05Mar2026.pdf. Accessed May 20, 2026. Published 2026.
2.               WHO Foundation. Gift Acceptance Policy. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/68da475d02f08155b73adad0/68da475d02f08155b73adde5_WHO-Foundation-Gift-Acceptance-Policy.pdf.  Accessed May 21, 2026. Published 2021.
3.               Leung JYY, Casswell S. The WHO Foundation should not accept donations from the alcohol industry. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7(5):e008707. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2022-008707
4.               World Health Organization (WHO). Framework of engagement with non-State actors. Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly WHA69.10. https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/wha69/a69_r10-en.pdf. Accessed May 21, 2026. Published May 2016.
5.               Torjesen I. Exclusive: Partnering with alcohol industry on public health is not okay, WHO says. BMJ. 2019;365:l1666. doi:10.1136/bmj.l1666
6.               WHO Foundation. Governance and Reports.  https://www.who.foundation/governance-and-reports. Accessed May 21, 2026. Published 2026.
7.               Leung JYY, Casswell S. United Nations partnerships with the alcohol industry. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2026;15:8947. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.8947
8.               DFS Group. Home Page. https://www.dfs.com/en/los-angeles. Accessed May 21, 2026.
9.               LVMH. DFS. https://www.lvmh.com/en/our-maisons/selective-retailing/dfs. Accessed May 21, 2026.
10.           WHO Foundation. Contributions 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/68da475d02f08155b73adad0/69cf8dd3dfe7d500bae3e781_WHO%20Foundation%20Contributions%202022%20FINAL.pdf. Accessed May 21, 2026. Published 2023.
11.           Affiliation Agreement between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Foundation in Support of the World Health Organization (WHO-F). Geneva; 2020. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/68da475d02f08155b73adad0/68da475d02f08155b73adde6_WHO-and-WHO-Foundation-Affiliation.pdf. Accessed July 7, 2026.
12.           World Health Organization (WHO). Guide for staff on engagement with non-State actors, second edition. https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/b2d63211-0d26-49f1-87b9-aef1a7e1d984/content. Accessed February 23, 2026. Published 2023.
13.           World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Geneva: WHO; 2003.
14.           Coombes R. Formula milk: WHO Foundation refuses to take further financial donations from Nestlé. BMJ. 2022;379:o2468. doi:10.1136/bmj.o2468
15.           Ralston R, Wagner-Rizvi T, van Schalkwyk MCI, Maani N, Collin J. The WHO Foundation in global health governance: Depoliticizing corporate philanthropy. Soc Sci Med. 2024;344:116515. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116515
16.           Casswell S. Vested interests in addiction research and policy. Why do we not see the corporate interests of the alcohol industry as clearly as we see those of the tobacco industry? Addiction. 2013;108(4):680-685. doi:10.1111/add.12011
17.           Babor TF, Casswell S, Graham K, et al. Chapter 5 - The alcohol industry: a nexus of considerable influence. In: Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2023.

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 29 August 2026

  • Received Date 28 April 2026
  • Revised Date 27 July 2026
  • Accepted Date 24 August 2026
  • First Published Date 29 August 2026
  • Published Date 29 August 2026