The Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly will focus on “Health for Peace, Peace for Health” for recovery and reconstruction

In a world threatened by conflict, inequality, climate crisis and pandemics, the 75th session of the World Health Assembly will emphasize the importance of building a healthy and peaceful planet using science, data, technology and innovation.

This year’s session of the Health Assembly will be focused on “Health for Peace, Peace for Health” and will last from 22.^nd to 28^th May at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. That will include the appointment of the next WHO Director-General.

“The pandemic has undermined progress towards health goals in the Sustainable Development Goals and exposed inequalities within and between countries,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Sustainable recovery will require more than‘ getting back on track ’and reinvesting in existing services and systems. We need a new approach, which means changing priorities and focusing on interventions with the greatest impact. ”

The Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly will begin with a high-level segment on May 22 with speeches by the President-elect, Heads of State, Special Guests, an address by the WHO Director-General and a presentation by the Director General of Health Awards. The Director-General’s speech will outline five WHO priorities for the future, expanding from vision presented at the meeting of the Executive Board held in January 2022.

Ahead of the Health Assembly, on May 20, the WHO will publish the latest World Health Statistics Conference, its annual compilation of health statistics for 194 WHO member states. The latest edition summarizes trends in life expectancy and causes of death and reports on progress towards the global health / development goals for 2020.

The 2020-2021 Results Reportalso published before the WHA, summarizes the achievements and challenges of the Organization in implementing the program budget.

Key issues

The Health Assembly will discuss global strategies on food safety, oral health, and tuberculosis research and innovation. The report of the WHO Working Group on Sustainable Financing will also be discussed.

Other key topics discussed include:

• Strengthening WHO preparedness for and response to health emergencies
• Implementation Plan 2023-2030 for the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases
• Cross-sectoral global action plan for epilepsy and other neurological disorders 2022-2031
• Prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment
• Poliomyelitis
• Global Health for Peace Initiative

The items on the agenda will be discussed in Committee A, which deals mainly with program and budgetary issues, and Committee B, which deals mainly with administrative, financial and legal issues. Details can be found in provisional agenda. The venues of the Palais des Nations are: Plenary Session – Room XIX; Commission A – Room XX; and Board B – Room XVII.

Assembly delegates, partner agencies, civil society representatives and WHO experts will also discuss public health priorities in a series of strategic roundtables. Discussions can be followed online here.

The Health Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the WHO, sets the policy of the Organization and approves its budget. Delegations from all 194 WHO member states are participating in the WHA. The agenda of the Health Assembly is prepared by the Program, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board, which will meet from 18 to 20 May 2022.

The Health Assembly is open to Member States, associate members, observers, invited representatives of the UN and other participating intergovernmental organizations and non-state actors.

The assembly will be broadcast live online from WHO website. The provisional agenda and assembly documents can be accessed here.

Please note that the preliminary schedule is available here: Preliminary daily schedule for the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly.

Media accreditation for the World Health Assembly

Journalists who wish to participate in the World Health Assembly and are NOT accredited to the United Nations should request media accreditation from the United Nations Information Service by registering at INDICO registration platform.