By Haruna Gimba
The 78th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA78) will convene from May 19 to 27, 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme “One World for Health.”
The Health Assembly will bring together high-level country representatives and other stakeholders to address health challenges.
This year’s gathering comes at a pivotal moment for global health, as Member States confront emerging threats and major shifts in the landscape for global health and international development.
This year’s theme underscores WHO’s enduring commitment to solidarity and equity, highlighting that even in unprecedented times, everyone, everywhere should have an equal chance to live a healthy life.
A highly anticipated moment of the WHA78 will be the consideration of the Pandemic Agreement, a landmark proposal developed over three years of intense negotiations by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, composed of all WHO Member States.
The adoption of the agreement is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to safeguard the world from a repeat of the suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposal will be the second ever presented for approval under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, which gives Member States the authority to reach agreements on global health.
“This year’s World Health Assembly will be truly historic with countries, after 3 years of negotiations, considering for adoption the first global compact to better protect people from pandemics,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“The Pandemic Agreement can make the world safer by boosting collaboration among countries fairly in the preparedness, prevention and response to pandemics.”
WHO’s sustainable financing is a key priority of the Health Assembly. Member States will consider a scheduled 20% increase in assessed contributions (membership fees), towards the next Programme Budget 2026–2027 (PB26-27). The PB26–27, also for approval by the Health Assembly, is the first full biennium under WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW14), WHO’s strategy for global health for 2025–2028.
The Programme Budget for 2026–2027 was under consultation by Member States, to prioritize activities and adjust the budget to the current financial realities, by reducing it by 22%, to $4.267 billion, from the original proposed budget of $5.3 billion.
Reprioritisation of WHO’s work, including cost-saving measures and budget adjustments, will also apply to the current year, 2025. The aim is to focus on WHO’s core work and increase efficiency.
The reprioritisation is a critical step to aligning WHO’s resources with the most urgent global health needs and getting health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track.
Sustainable financing was one of several transformation priorities put in place by the WHO Director-General to ensure a more efficient and impactful WHO when he first took office.
On Tuesday, May 20, there will be a high-level pledging moment for the Investment Round, where Member States and philanthropies are expected to announce funding for WHO.
Member States will assess progress made over the past year, including a review of the 2024 Results Report – the final report measuring progress toward WHO’s Triple Billion targets under its Thirteenth General Programme of Work.
The Health Assembly will consider approximately 75 items and sub-items and is expected to approve more than 40 resolutions/decisions, many of which are put forward by the Executive Board at its 156th session (EB156), where they have been previously discussed.
The packed agenda covers a diverse range of topics in WHO’s Programme of Work, such as the health and care workforce, antimicrobial resistance, health emergencies, preparedness, polio, climate change and social connection as determinants of health, among other issues.
On the morning of Friday, May 23, the WHA President will present public health prizes and awards, recognising exceptional contributions by individuals and organisations to the advancement of public health.
It is also expected that the Director-General will announce two Director-General’s Awards for Global Health on the morning of Tuesday, May 20.
No fewer than 45 official side events, including high-level pledging event, and Ministerial Roundtable on data and sustainable financing will take place from Monday May 19 to Saturday May 24.
An event, a sustainable financing of WHO for impact in the new global health landscape, will serve as a platform for Member States and partners to announce pledges and commitments towards WHO’s Investment Round.
The high-level roundtable will bring together ministers of health and finance, global partners, and technical leaders to identify scalable actions that strengthen country-led health data systems and sustainable financing strategies for universal health coverage and the health-related SDGs.
Due to resource constraints, additional events will be limited. WHA78 will take place in a challenging financial environment.
Several actions have been taken by the WHO in an effort to contain costs, including reducing speaking times, when possible, in order to reduce evening sessions to a minimum, severely limiting hospitality, displays and exhibits and event costs, amongst other administrative cost-saving measures.
