The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday stressed that voluntary, unpaid blood donations must be increased rapidly in more than half of the world's countries.[Photo/Xinhua]

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday stressed that voluntary, unpaid blood donations must be increased rapidly in more than half of the world's countries, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

WHO made statement ahead of World Blood Donor Day, which falls on June 14, Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

Nearly 50 percent of blood donations are collected in high-income countries, home to less than 20 percent of the world's population, Dujarric noted.

"WHO encouraged all countries to establish blood services based on full voluntary non-remunerated blood donations," he said.

Today, only 62 countries get close to 100 percent of their national blood supplies from voluntary unpaid blood donations, with 34 countries still dependent on family donors and even paid donors for more than 75 percent of their blood supply, he added.

The theme of this year's World Blood Donor Day is "Blood connects us all." It focuses on thanking blood donors.

Every year on June 14, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. The event, established in 2004, serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood.

World Blood Donor Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by WHO, along with World Health Day, World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day, and World AIDS Day.