WRAP: The World Health Assembly At a Glance #WHA78
Newsletter Edition #274 [The Curated Primer]
Hi,
Presenting a quick wrap on the World Health Assembly that concluded on May 28th, in Geneva this week.
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I. WHA78: WRAP
The 78th World Health Assembly At A Glance
There were as many as 75 items and sub-items deliberated, discussed, approved and even voted on.
WHO Director-General's closing remarks at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly – 27 May 2025
World Health Assembly: Why Multilateralism Needs More Than Solidarity (Think Global Health)
Key Decisions, Approvals at the World Health Assembly
Decision to update: Global action plan (GAP) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This will be discussed in May 2026
A78/8: Antimicrobial resistance – Report by the Director-General
Adoption of the first-ever Global action plan on climate change and health for 2025–2028
(Also see: Health Policy Watch WHO Climate Change and Health Action Plan Approved after Saudi-led Effort to Shelve it Fails )
Resolution on lung health approved EB156(19)
First-ever resolution on kidney health EB156(20)
Resolution on scaling up eye, hearing care and prevention EB156(21)
Campaign: World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day
Also see: Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem
Timeline extended for global action plan on dementia
Improving nutrition for mothers and young children (Countries agree to new indicators)
(Deadline extended to meet targets of the current global comprehensive plan until 2030.)
Global digital health strategy extended to support digitized health systems
Adopted a resolution on the global health financing emergency
Agreement to ask WHO to assess Effects of nuclear war on public health
(See Health Policy Watch: WHO Mandated to Update of 30-Year-Old Review on Health Impacts of Nuclear War – After Heated WHA Debate)
Approved resolution on Regulating the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes
Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery extended to 2030
Also see State of the world’s nursing report 2025: nurses account for approximately 39% of the global health workforce shortage.
Member States commit to urgently address social connection
On polio eradication through stronger health systems
(Also see: A critical moment for global public health: Polio eradication at the 2025 World Health Assembly)
Noted a report on the enhancement of laboratory biosafety
(Progress reports - Report by the Director-General [May 20, 2025]
Adopted a resolution on science-driven norms and standards for health policy and implementation;
Adopted a new target to halve the health impacts of air pollution by 2040
Adopted a resolution to address rare diseases, protecting the over 300 million people globally who live with one of more than 7000 rare diseases
Decision on research into public health and social measures to control outbreaks and pandemics
Noting the implementation health needs in Ukraine and refugee-hosting countries
On Palestine: DG Report on Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem
Decision on report on Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan
Notifying the International Health Regulations (2005) to Palestine
Raising the flags of non-Member Observer States at the World Health Organization
Approved a global traditional medicine strategy 2025–2034
(Also see: Health Policy Watch - WHO’s Big Push to Integrate Traditional Medicine into Global Healthcare Framework)
Decision on WHO finances: Using reserves for salaries and severance
Partial and temporary suspension of Financial Regulation VIII, 8.2
Results report 2024 (Programme budget 2024–2025: performance assessment) and Financial report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024
Outcomes on recorded votes
Committee A
Item 16.3 Notifying the International Health Regulations (2005) to Palestine – 22.05.2025
Item 17.2 WHO’s work in health emergencies – Amendment to resolution – 22.05.2025
Item 17.2 WHO’s work in health emergencies – Resolution – 22.05.2025
Item 17.3 Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem – 22.05.2025
Committee B
Item 20 Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan – 21.05.2025
Item 27 Raising the flags of non-Member Observer States at the World Health Organization – 26.05.2025
EXECUTIVE BOARD 157 [MAY 28-29]
Report of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board
Statement by the representative of the WHO staff associations
Other announcements:
The Memorandum outlines five key areas of collaboration:
health systems strengthening: including regulatory harmonization, support for local pharmaceutical manufacturing, traditional medicine, domestic health financing, workforce development, and digital health innovation;
reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH): with continued support for the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA Plus 2021–2030) and advancement of the reviewed Addis Ababa Declaration on Immunization (ADi);
disease prevention and control: supporting the implementation of AU frameworks on communicable and noncommunicable diseases, including efforts to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria; eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs); and address the burden of viral hepatitis in line with WHO strategies;
nutrition and food security: strengthening the nutrition agenda through implementation of the Africa Nutrition Strategy 2015–2025 and related WHO strategies; and
health in emergency settings: by strengthening joint responses to humanitarian crises, conflicts, and climate-related emergencies.
“The World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced today the expansion of the successful Health Security Partnership to Strengthen Disease Surveillance in Africa (HSPA) to seven countries on the continent.
Africa experiences more disease outbreaks than any other part of the world. While significant progress has been made in strengthening disease surveillance over the past decade, no country can tackle today’s complex health threats alone.
The Health Security Partnership strengthens disease surveillance and epidemic intelligence across the African continent, enabling countries to better detect and respond to public health threats - whether they are natural, accidental or deliberate. Launched in 2023 in six countries, The Gambia, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa and Tunisia, the partnership will expand to Rwanda in its second phase which runs from 2025 to 2028.
At the heart of the initiative is a collaborative surveillance approach that connects health and security sectors to reduce biological risks and strengthen surveillance systems nationally and internationally.
“HSPA represents an important step forward in building stronger partnerships for health security in Africa. By bringing together global, regional and national actors, this initiative supports countries in strengthening Collaborative Surveillance through mutual exchange and practical action. WHO remains committed to working alongside Member States to ensure that these collective efforts are well-coordinated, responsive, and rooted in national priorities,” said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa; Deputy Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme.
The partnership is supporting countries to strengthen capacities in biorisk management, event and indicator-based surveillance, genomic surveillance and epidemic intelligence. This is achieved through training, guidance development, co-creation of implementation roadmaps, and hands-on technical assistance to ensure that implementation is aligned with country priorities, embedded within broader national systems, and built for long-term sustainability.
“Within the framework of this project, Africa CDC will work with the Member States in mobilizing political will for biosecurity and surveillance, establishing regional frameworks for bio-surveillance of high-consequence biological agents and toxins, and coordinating event-based surveillance. The collaboration with other partners and coordination with Member States is crucial especially in the current context of limited resources to strengthen the continent's capacity for early detection, response, and management of biological threats,” said Dr Raji Tajudeen, Acting Deputy Director General and Head, Division of Public Health Institutes and Research, Africa CDC.
The HSPA initiative has been supported from the start by the Government of Canada through its Weapons Threat Reduction Program, with additional funding in phase two from the Government of the United Kingdom.
Building on the achievements in phase one, the participating countries, with support from WHO and partners, will accelerate implementation to build a healthier, safer and more resilient Africa.”
II. PODCAST CORNER
AI for equity: bridging global health gaps
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Listen here
Garry Aslanyan is the host and moderator of the Global Health Matters podcast. You can contact him at: aslanyang@who.int
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