Landmark resolution for strengthening Indigenous Peoples’ health globally The World Health Assembly today approved an unprecedented resolution on the health of Indigenous Peoples, which requests the Director-General to develop a global action plan for the health of indigenous peoples and to present it to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in 2026. Indigenous Peoples, although representing diverse population groups and communities,… Read More

WHO’s 76th health assembly closed today, having addressed a vast array of issues, including behavioural sciences; best buys for non-communicable diseases; diagnostics; disabilities; drowning prevention; emergency, critical and operative care; food micronutrients; indigenous health; infection prevention and control; maternal and child health; medical oxygen; primary health care; refugee and migrant health; rehabilitation; traditional medicine, and WHO’s work in responding to… Read More

WHO and the Republic of Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a global training hub in biomanufacturing. This global training centre will serve all low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to produce biologicals, such as vaccines, insulin, monoclonal antibodies, and cancer medicines. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to expand the local and regional production of vaccines and… Read More

First global strategy on infection prevention and control The World Health Assembly agreed today on the first-ever global strategy on infection prevention and control (IPC), which builds on almost two decades of efforts led by WHO and partners. The strategy provides Member States with strategic directions to substantially reduce the ongoing risk of health care-associated infections (HAIs), including those that… Read More

During a moving ceremony at the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly in Geneva, awards were presented to persons and institutions from around the world for their outstanding contributions to public health. “The 2023 public health prizes and awards celebrate people who have made a significant contribution to global health, and whose work has extended far beyond the call of normal duty,”… Read More

Gearing up for a historic UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage Member States expressed alarm that millions of people cannot access life-saving and health-enhancing interventions. Out-of-pocket spending on health catastrophically affects over 1 billion people, pushing hundreds of millions of people into extreme poverty. The situation has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Member States agreed a… Read More

Member States agree to the WHO’s Programme Budget for 2024-2025, committing to a 20% increase of assessed contributions (membership fees). During discussions in Committee A of the Assembly, Member States agreed today the draft resolution with the proposed programme of work for the next two years (2024-2025). The budget to deliver on this programme was also agreed, at US$ 6.83… Read More