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Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Daily update: 20 May 2025Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly [https://www.who.int/news/item/20-05-2025-seventy-eighth-world-health-assembly—daily-update–20-may-2025]
World Health Assembly adopts historic Pandemic Agreement to make the world more equitable and safer from future pandemics
Agreement’s adoption follows three years of intensive negotiation launched due to gaps and inequities identified in national and global COVID-19 response.Agreement boosts global collaboration to ensure stronger, more equitable response to future pandemics.Next steps include negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing system.
Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) today formally adopted by consensus the world’s first Pandemic Agreement [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_10-en.pdf]. The landmark decision by the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly culminates more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and driven by the goal of making the world safer from – and more equitable in response to – future pandemics.
Related documents
A78/10 Add.1 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_10Add1-en.pdf], Outcome of informal consultations of Member States, Draft resolution on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
——————————————————————————World Health Assembly commits to historic 20% increase in Assessed Contributions (membership fees), approves WHO’s Base Programme Budget for 2026–2027 of US $4.2 billion
https://www.who.int/news/item/20-05-2025-in-historic-move–who-member-states-approve-20–funding-increase-and-2026-27-budget
Delegates at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78) approved the base programme budget of US$ 4.2 billion for 2026–2027, the first to be fully developed based on the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, 2025–2028 (GPW 14), the global health strategy for the next four years. GPW 14 prioritizes advancing health equity and strengthening health systems resilience.
The budget presented to WHA78 committee A was decreased from the initial US$ 5.3 billion presented to the executive board in February given the challenging financial context. While decreasing some regional budgets and headquarters budgets, Member States agreed to try to preserve country level budgets to the extent possible. The budget will allocate resources to enhance technical cooperation, foster partnerships and support the achievement of national and global health targets. The proposed programme budget 2026–2027 also reaffirms the indispensable role of multilateralism in addressing today’s complex and interconnected health challenges.
Member States also approved the gradual second 20% increase of the assessed contributions (AC), or membership fees which had been previously adopted by the Member State Working Group on sustainable financing. This ensures that WHO funding is not only predictable, but also resilient and flexible, which is critical given the rapidly changing financial landscape.
Member States also had the opportunity to review the implementation of governance reform. In a time of geopolitical tension and rising inequalities, WHO remains a vital platform for cooperation, solidarity and coordination in global health
World leaders pledged significant contributions to the WHO Investment Round at a high-level pledging event Tuesday evening, another key step in WHO’s journey to sustainable financing.
Related documents
A78/6 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_6-en.pdf], Proposed programme budget 2026–2027 ( Corrigendum 1 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_6Corr1-en.pdf]) ( Add.1 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_6Add1-en.pdf])
A78/37 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_37-en.pdf], Report of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the
Executive Board to the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly
A78/INF./8 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_INF8-en.pdf], General Programme of Work, 2025–2028: baselines and
targets for outcome and output indicators
A78/4 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_4-en.pdf], Consolidated report by the Director-General
A78/5 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_5-en.pdf], Governance reform ( Add.1) [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_5Add1-en.pdf]
A78/39 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_39-en.pdf], Governance reform, Process of handling and investigating potential allegations against WHO Directors-General
Related photos: [https://multimedia.who.int/Package/2AOJ8Z04JS9Q]
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High Level Segment and Director-General Awards
During the high-level segment, delegates heard from H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union; H.E. Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia; and H.E. Liu Guozhong, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China. Video statements were made by a number of world leaders across the globe.
Egyptian opera singer Farrah El-Dibany and Soprano singers Elaine Vidal and Eunice Miller of the Philippines performed at the Health Assembly on Tuesday morning.
The Director-General also presented Global Health Leader’s awards to Professor Sir Brian Greenwood and Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck for their pivotal work in malaria control and beyond.
Direct link to the awards photos: [https://multimedia.who.int/Package/2AOJ8Z0X3HP8]
The Assembly started on Monday 19 May 2025 under the theme “One World for Health”.
The election of officials took place on Monday morning. Dr Teodoro Herbosa of the Philippines became the President of the Health Assembly. The elected Vice-Presidents are Dr Jalila bint Al Sayyed Jawad Hassan of Bahrain, Dr Sayedur Rahman of Bangladesh, Mr Jaime Hernán Urrego Rodríguez of Colombia, Dr Judit Bidlo of Hungary and Dr Louise Mapleh Kpoto Liberia.
H.E. Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, addressed the Health Assembly on behalf of the host country.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, WHO Director-General, delivered his report to the Assembly.
https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/report-of-the-director-general-to-member-states-at-the-seventy-eighth-world-health-assembly-19-may-2025
All speeches can be found here: https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches
PHOTOS
Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly photos: [https://multimedia.who.int/]
WHO photo library: [https://multimedia.who.int/]
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