The first joint summit between WHO and the World Health Summit strengthens cooperation with a diverse range of partners

October 2022 – Geneva, WHO signed new agreements with various civil society, political and community stakeholders in October at the World Health Summit in Berlin, a three-day hybrid event that brought together some 60,000 participants worldwide.

For the first time, WHO co-hosted the Summit, which attracted 4,100 participants from 141 countries to more than 60 sessions with a common goal: improving health for all, everywhere. At the event, WHO expanded partnerships with civil society and advocates and formalized strategic engagements with non-traditional stakeholders – relationships that are critical to achieving global health goals.

Read the highlights from the Summit:

International Association of National Institutes of Public Health (IANPHI)

IANPHI and WHO signed a memorandum of understanding outlining the ways in which the two agencies intend to work together to strengthen public health functions and preparedness for health emergencies.

WHO and IANPHI share the vision that key public health functions are a comprehensive and cost-effective approach to advancing universal health coverage, health security and healthier populations. A strengthened alliance between WHO and IANPHI is essential to ensure that global and regional structures are designed to support national and local capacity and provide the right avenues for collaboration and coordination.

Read more: The International Association of National Institutes of Public Health is in partnership with the WHO

UNITE, Parliamentarians’ Network for Global Health

Demonstrating the diversity and broad reach of the summit, WHO also signed a memorandum of understanding with UNITE at an event attended in person by more than 40 parliamentarians from 30 countries.

The agreement represents a new step in strengthening WHO’s engagement with parliaments; UNITE is committed to supporting WHO in raising awareness and building the capacity of parliamentarians in three strategic areas of global public health:

• equal access to health, with an emphasis on universal coverage of health services;
• strengthening the health system, with a focus on supporting sustainable global health financing; and
• effective global health architecture and security and promotion of pandemic agreements.

Read more: Parliamentarians pledge to support global health (18 October 2022)

More information about UNITE

^{dr. Ricardo Baptista Leita, President and Founder of UNITE and Dr. Tedros, Director-General, WHO}

King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief)

WHO and UNICEF signed US$10 million funding agreements with KSRelief to strengthen polio and measles programs in eight countries.

The new funding – providing US$5 million each to WHO and UNICEF – comes in response to the two agencies’ urgent call for action to prevent major outbreaks of polio and measles. Both organizations called on countries to prioritize vaccination of children following global interruptions in immunization programs caused by COVID-19.

WHO plans to co-organize the World Health Summit in 2025.

Read more: UNICEF and WHO welcome KSRelief funding to prevent measles and polio epidemics

^{From left to right: Catherine Russel, Executive Director of UNICEF; Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, General Superintendent of the King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid and Relief (KSRelief); dr. Tedros, Director General of the WHO}

Global Consortium to Help Smokers Quit

WHO has also launched a business coalition to support the Organization’s work on smoking cessation and provide more smokers with the tools and medicines they need to quit smoking. The Consortium for Smoking Cessation is a public-private partnership fighting tobacco addiction.

An estimated 1.3 billion people use tobacco products, 80% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. In Germany, where the Consortium was launched, 23% of the adult population smokes.

The latest numbers show that 60% of tobacco users worldwide have expressed a desire to quit, but only 30% have access to comprehensive cessation services.

The consortium will focus on solving the challenge in collaboration with partners, through five pillars: pharmacotherapies and the continuous delivery of products and medicines that help people quit smoking; strengthening health systems; talk to people in power and advocate for increased investment in cessation; identifying innovations and research ideas, reaching more people through digital channels and promoting tools developed by partners.

Read more: Pharma, tech and social networks join forces with WHO to launch smoking cessation consortium in Berlin, Germany

Promising to end polio worldwide

Germany co-hosted the global polio eradication campaign at the summit, which brought in pledges of US$2.6 billion.

The money will help the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) implement its 2022-2026 strategy. to overcome the final hurdles to polio eradication, including vaccinating 370 million children over the next five years and continuing disease surveillance in 50 countries.

GPEI is seeking US$4.8 million to end polio, which would become the second disease after smallpox to be eradicated by human intervention.

Pledges came from Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Spain, Turkey, United States, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropy, Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, Latter-day Saint Charities , Rotary International and UNICEF.

Read more: World leaders commit US$2.6 billion to WHS to eradicate polio