Launch of the Global Leaders Network Domestic Resource Mobilisation Webinar Series: Domestic Resource Mobilisation in Action!

A growing health financing crisis threatens to reverse decades of progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those focused on the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents (WCA). Between 2023 and 2025, Official Development Assistance (ODA) for health is projected to decline by as much as 40%, falling from US$25.19 billion to US$15.07 billion (P4H Network, 2024). A recent estimate suggests that recent cuts to developmental assistance for health will decrease funding to newborn and child health, maternal health, and family planning by 17%, 23% and 34%, respectively (McKinsey, 2025). The decline in funding for women, children, and adolescent health (WCAH) risks reversing decades of progress, widening health disparities, and undermining global commitments to equity and universal health coverage.

As countries face shrinking fiscal space and shifting donor priorities, bold political leadership is urgently needed to protect and expand investments in health (Devex, 2025). Strengthening domestic resource mobilization and increasing the share of national budgets allocated to health are critical for sustainable and predictable financing. In parallel, innovative financing approaches—such as blended financing, health taxes, and results-based funding—offer opportunities to expand fiscal space and improve the efficiency of spending. Realizing these gains requires strong political will, strategic policy choices, and coordinated action across sectors.

The momentum to advance DRM is building through initiatives such as the WHA resolution to “Strengthening Health Financing Globally,” adopted in 2025, the Health Financing Accelerator, the G20 Joint Finance and Health Task Force, the Lusaka Agenda, and the ALM Health Initiative among others. Through a mapping exercise, The Global Leaders Network for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (the GLN) has identified 19 such initiatives. However, these initiatives are being implemented in a siloed fashion, failing to address the systemic sidelining of financing for WCAH - especially in times of fiscal constraints when these populations are most at risk of being deprioritized. To maximize their impact, there is a pressing need to raise awareness, improve coordination, and reduce fragmentation of efforts, and to ensure that these initiatives collectively prioritize the health of women, children, and adolescents.

To advance this agenda, the GLN- chaired by H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and supported by PMNCH—is launching a webinar series to:

1. Explore various strategies and tactics for domestic resource mobilisation
2. Spotlight best practices, country-led successes, and innovative financing models that have delivered good health outcomes, especially for women, children and adolescents
3. SociaIise policy levers to enhance DRM for health and protect sustained allocations for WCAH
4. Highlight country examples where emerging policy recommendations emanating from high level political processes have been successfully implemented