Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly – Each day replace: 19 May 2026

At the World Health Assembly immediately, Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus offered his report on the work of WHO to Member States and the Assembly began normal dialogue beneath the theme “Reshaping global health: a shared responsibility”.   

The Secretariat offered certificates of accomplishment for excellent public well being achievements:

• Algeria, Australia, Burundi, Egypt, Fiji, Libya, Senegal and Tunisia for trachoma elimination;
• Chile for leprosy elimination;
• Kenya for Human African trypanosomiasis elimination;
• Suriname and Timor-Leste for malaria elimination;
• Anguilla, Bahamas, Brazil, Cuba, Denmark, Maldives, Montserrat, Oman, Sri Lanka and Turks and Caicos for the elimination mother-to-child transmission of HIV, HBV and syphilis; and
• Portugal and United Arab Emirates for trans-fat elimination;

In recognition of their excellent contributions to tobacco management, the next World No Tobacco Day awards certificates had been awarded to:

• Dr Louise Mapleh-Kpoto, Minister of Health of Liberia;
• Dr Monica Garcia Gomez, Minister of Health of Spain;
• María Lustemberg Haro, Minister of Public Health of Uruguay; and the
• Department of Legislation of Viet Nam.

WHO Member States lengthen negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system of WHO Pandemic Agreement

The World Health Assembly determined to proceed the drafting and negotiation of the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) Annex beneath the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement.  The IGWG, as mandated beneath Article 12 of the Agreement, will proceed to prioritize this work.

The objective of the PABS Annex is to supply a framework for making certain a greater, extra equitable, response to future pandemics. During the previous 12 months, WHO Member States have held in depth negotiations on the Annex, and the end result of their work was offered to the World Health Assembly.

WHO Member States agreed to submit the end result of their negotiations on the PABS Annex for consideration by the Eightieth World Health Assembly in May 2027, or at a devoted particular session of the Assembly in 2026.  Adoption of the PABS Annex is essential for the opening for signature of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.  WHO Member States will resume negotiations on the PABS Annex following the World Health Assembly on the seventh assembly of the IGWG being held on 6-17 July 2026.

Health Emergencies in Committee A

In Committee A, delegates mentioned preparedness for and response to public well being emergencies, and famous the report on the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) and the report of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.  

Delegates additionally mentioned the well being influence of the continuing battle within the Middle East, with a concentrate on the safety of well being care and well being employees in battle settings, and took notice of the report on WHO’s work in well being emergencies.  

The Committee adopted a draft decision on the well being emergency in Lebanon.

From COVID-19 to motion: reflections by means of a decade of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme

On the margins of the World Health Assembly, international leaders convened for a strategic roundtable reflecting on classes from COVID‑19 and different crises, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE).

Opening the session, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, WHE’s Executive Director, highlighted that WHE’s evolution has been formed by classes from successive emergencies, particularly COVID‑19. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the pandemic because the “ultimate stress test,” exposing weaknesses in preparedness, fairness, and belief, whereas accelerating innovation and international collaboration. Dr Mike Ryan, Former Executive Director of WHE, added historic perspective, noting that international well being techniques have usually developed reactively after crises resembling SARS, Ebola, and COVID‑19, and should now adapt proactively to future threats.

Experts underscored key areas of transformation. Professor Johanna Hanefeld, of the Robert Koch Institute, emphasised a brand new period of epidemic intelligence, the place superior analytics and AI have to be paired with robust nationwide techniques and public belief. Dr Daniela Garone, of Médecins Sans Frontières, burdened the necessity for sustainable and versatile financing, warning that reliance on reactive funding limits efficient preparedness. Dr John-Arne Røttingen, of the Wellcome Trust, highlighted the significance of an end-to-end strategy to medical countermeasures, making certain that scientific advances translate into equitable entry and real-world influence.

Country views illustrated these classes in motion. Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr Mekdes Daba Feyssa, described how COVID‑19 drove main investments in laboratories, oxygen techniques, and workforce capability, strengthening responses to subsequent outbreaks. In the Central African Republic, Minister Dr Pierre Somsé highlighted how built-in approaches such because the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) are aligning technical, political, and neighborhood motion to enhance preparedness.

The session underscored a central message: COVID‑19 revealed each the prices of unpreparedness and the ability of collective motion. While progress has been made by means of the Pandemic Agreement and reforms to International Health Regulations (IHR), finalizing the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex stays essential. The problem now’s clear – translate classes into sustained funding and stronger, extra equitable techniques for the long run.