Good morning, this is Paula. Over the coming week, thousands of global health actors – from ministers to NGOs to industry figures – will hit the Palais des Nations for the World Health Assembly.
For the World Health Organization, the stakes at hand are considerable. It faces a deepening funding crisis that threatens nations’ ability to ensure health access for all. Meanwhile, states are on the verge of a landmark adoption of an agreement meant to improve the global response to global health emergencies.
Here’s what to watch – both inside the assembly hall and the whirlwind of meetings happening on the sidelines. |
The entrance to the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. 1 May 2025. (Keystone/Salvatore Di Nolfi)
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What to watch this week at WHA
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👏Good news first.
As the World Health Assembly kicks off this morning, states are expected to begin by ironing out the final details to pave the way for approval of the pandemic agreement that took them three years to hash out. If all goes according to plan, ministers will formally endorse the treaty on Tuesday morning – and agree on next steps to negotiate an outstanding yet indispensable mechanism needed to activate the treaty.
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🫰Money talks.
With that out of the way, countries will turn their focus to budget negotiations on Tuesday – with a key proposal up for debate, asking states to shoulder a greater share of the WHO’s budget.
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💥Gaza hellscape.
On Wednesday, Gaza will be under the spotlight as states discuss the health situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the humanitarian implications of the war. States are in for a charged session, especially with now one in five Gazans facing starvation after nearly three months of Israel’s complete aid blockade.
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🧭Climate route.
One of the WHA’s highly anticipated decisions is the adoption of a new plan of action on climate and health. Spearheaded by African, Latin American and European countries, the initiative has stirred controversy, with oil producer Russia having opposed the move from the start, while campaigners have criticised the text for not addressing the health effects of fossil fuels.
While recognising this “limitation”, the Global Climate and Health Alliance, which groups dozens of humanitarian, environmental and health organisations, urged states ahead of the meeting to adopt the plan.
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🫥US-less.
This will be the first WHA since the Trump administration severed ties with the WHO. Technically, the US remains a member until the exit becomes official in January 2026 and could still participate in the meeting. However, diplomats note that Washington has been absent from formal negotiations. Ironically, its policy decisions are driving one of the assembly’s most contentious issues – the WHO’s budget.
– By Michelle Langrand
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Also on the agenda
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📌 20-23 May | Geneva Health Forum.
The platform will connect academics, medical practitioners and policymakers with health and humanitarian experts from international Geneva alongside the World Health Assembly at the Campus Biotech through a number of events on the themes of malnutrition, migrant health and the impacts of climate change on health.
Geneva Health Forum
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📌 23 May | Dr Lee Jong Wook prize.
The award, announced each year during the WHA, recognises a person or an organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to public health. The prize was established in honour of the late South Korean physician Lee Jong Wook, who died in 2006 while serving as director general of the WHO. The ceremony will be held at the Campus Biotech and presented by another former WHO boss, Margaret Chan.
(EN)
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For more events, visit the Genève Internationale website.
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Have a good day!
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