Global Unity, Historic Milestones: 78th World Health Assembly Concludes with Ambitious Health Agenda
The Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78), the flagship decision-making forum of the World Health Organization (WHO), drew to a close on May 27, 2025, marking what many are calling a watershed moment in the history of global health governance. With delegates representing WHO’s 194 Member States, this year’s Assembly was convened under the banner “One World for Health,” underscoring the critical importance of international solidarity in addressing the world’s most urgent health challenges.
Over the course of nine days, health ministers, senior officials, and representatives from around the globe deliberated on a sweeping range of 75 agenda items and sub-items. These spanned all areas of public health—from pandemic preparedness and climate-related emergencies to noncommunicable diseases and equitable financing. The Assembly concluded with a strong sense of accomplishment, unity, and renewed determination to fortify the world’s collective ability to respond to current and future health threats.
A Defining Moment: Adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement
Among the most monumental achievements of WHA78 was the adoption of the first-ever WHO Pandemic Agreement. Finalized after more than three years of intense negotiations by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), the landmark agreement represents a historic consensus to enhance global collaboration and equity in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
The agreement seeks to address the systemic failures exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, notably the inequities in access to vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics that disproportionately affected low- and middle-income countries. It calls for a coordinated international response to future pandemics while upholding national sovereignty and encouraging transparency, accountability, and mutual support.
Applause filled the Assembly chamber on May 20 as Member States formally adopted the agreement. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the moment as a testament to global cooperation amid a fractured geopolitical landscape.
“The words ‘historic’ and ‘landmark’ are overused, but they are perfectly apt to describe this year’s World Health Assembly,” Dr. Tedros stated. “The adoption of the Pandemic Agreement and the approval of sustainable financing reforms show that we can achieve cooperation in the face of conflict, and unity amid division.”
While the agreement is not legally binding, it lays the foundation for a global framework that could transform how the world confronts infectious disease threats. One key annex still under development is the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system, which will be the subject of continued consultations over the next year. The PABS system aims to facilitate equitable access to medical countermeasures developed from shared pathogen data—an issue that became acutely contentious during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Securing WHO’s Future: Sustainable Financing Commitments
Another major achievement of WHA78 was the decision to increase assessed contributions (ACs)—the mandatory dues paid by Member States to support WHO’s core functions. This marks the second phase of a multi-year plan to gradually increase ACs so that they account for 50% of WHO’s core budget by the 2030–2031 biennium. This funding reform is a pivotal step toward making the Organization’s financing more predictable, flexible, and resilient.
The vote of confidence in WHO’s long-term sustainability was further demonstrated during a high-level pledging event for the Organization’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work, which outlines strategic priorities for the next four years. Over US$210 million was pledged to WHO’s Investment Round during the event, building on the US$1.7 billion raised since the campaign’s launch in May 2024. The initiative has already attracted 35 new contributors, reflecting growing trust and recognition of WHO’s vital role in global health governance.
Resolutions that Will Shape the Future of Global Health
The Assembly was not solely focused on pandemics and financing; it also took critical action on a diverse set of health challenges. From environmental health and digital innovation to social well-being and noncommunicable diseases, Member States adopted a suite of resolutions that will help shape national and global health agendas for years to come.
Some of the most consequential resolutions included:
- Global Health Financing Emergency: A new resolution recognized the urgent need for innovative, sustainable health financing mechanisms to address widening resource gaps in low- and middle-income countries.
- Lung and Kidney Health: For the first time in WHO’s history, dedicated resolutions were adopted to address lung and kidney diseases—chronic conditions that are responsible for millions of premature deaths each year and will feature prominently in the upcoming UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases.
- Science-Driven Health Policy: A resolution reaffirmed the importance of using scientific evidence to inform global health norms, policies, and implementation strategies—a vital step toward depoliticizing health decision-making.
- Air Pollution: In a bid to address one of the leading environmental determinants of health, Member States set a bold new target to cut the health impacts of air pollution by half by 2040.
- Social Connection: A pioneering resolution focused on promoting social connection, citing growing evidence that social isolation is linked to poor health outcomes, including increased risk of early mortality.
- Lead-Free Future: A resolution was adopted to phase out lead exposure, especially in paints and consumer products, to prevent irreversible neurological damage in children.
- Rare Diseases: Recognizing the plight of more than 300 million people affected by over 7,000 rare diseases, Member States passed a resolution aimed at improving diagnosis, treatment, and data collection globally.
- Digital Marketing of Infant Formula: The Assembly expanded the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes to regulate the digital advertising of formula and baby foods, responding to concerns over deceptive online marketing practices.
- Guinea Worm Eradication: In a strong show of commitment to neglected tropical diseases, a resolution was adopted to accelerate the eradication of Guinea worm disease, which is now endemic in just a handful of countries.
Additional resolutions addressed pressing topics such as digital health governance, the global health workforce, nursing and midwifery, medical imaging technologies, sensory impairments, and skin diseases. The Assembly also designated two new global health observance days: World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day and World Prematurity Day, aiming to raise awareness and mobilize resources for critical but often underfunded health issues.
Responding to Health Emergencies in an Era of Climate Change and Conflict
The WHA78 placed significant emphasis on strengthening health emergency preparedness and response in a world increasingly shaped by climate change, armed conflict, and population displacement. Over the past year, WHO responded to 51 graded health emergencies across 89 countries and territories. These included outbreaks of cholera, mpox, and dengue, as well as health crises stemming from conflicts and natural disasters.
Nearly 60% of newly graded emergencies were climate-related, underscoring the growing health toll of a warming planet. WHO worked with more than 900 partners across 28 health clusters, reaching 72 million people with essential health services in humanitarian settings.
Member States reviewed the implementation of the Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Resilience (HEPR) framework and voiced strong support for WHO’s leadership in global emergency coordination. The Assembly also discussed the humanitarian and health situations in Ukraine and the occupied Palestinian territory, reiterating the need to uphold international humanitarian law and ensure the delivery of essential health services in conflict zones.
Further, Member States took note of the Director-General’s report on progress in implementing the International Health Regulations (2005), a legally binding framework that underpins global health security, and adopted a resolution to boost research on public health and social measures used to control disease outbreaks.
A Defining Assembly for Global Health
The 78th World Health Assembly will be remembered as a turning point in international health diplomacy. With the adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, concrete steps toward sustainable financing, and a diverse set of far-reaching resolutions, Member States demonstrated their ability to transcend geopolitical divisions in pursuit of a common goal: health for all.
As the Assembly closed, the prevailing message was one of hope, solidarity, and shared responsibility.
“This Assembly has set the stage for a stronger, fairer, and more resilient global health system,” said Dr. Tedros. “Now, it is up to all of us to translate commitments into action—for the sake of every person, in every country, everywhere.”
