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Saturday, 24 May 2025
Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly
Daily update: 24 May 2025
Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly – Daily update: 24 May 2025 [https://www.who.int/news/item/23-05-2025-seventy-eighth-world-health-assembly—daily-update–23-may-2025]
24 May 2025
First-ever rare diseases resolution underscores equity and inclusion
Member States today adopted a landmark resolution declaring rare diseases a global health priority in an effort to ensure that no patients are left behind. The Resolution recognizes that over 300 million people globally live with one of more than 7000 rare diseases, most of which begin in childhood and can lead to significant physical, emotional, and financial hardship.
The Resolution urges countries to integrate rare diseases into national health planning, improve diagnosis and care through universal health coverage, promote inclusive policies, and accelerate innovation, research, and access to affordable treatment. Importantly, the Resolution mandates WHO to develop a comprehensive 10-year global action plan on rare diseases, with measurable targets to guide progress toward equity, inclusion, and access to care for all affected individuals.
Related document:
EB 156/6 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(15)-en.pdf]
Related link:
International Classification of Diseases: Rare diseases [https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/rare-diseases]Countries endorse resolution to tackle global health financing emergency
The Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly approved a new resolution on strengthening health financing globally, reaffirming their commitment to delivering universal health coverage (UHC) through advancing people-centred primary health care. This comes at crucial moment as external aid faces a potential 40% reduction in 2025, alongside increasing out-of-pocket spending on health and disruptions in health services in many countries. This shock has resulted in a global health financing emergency that is hitting already-stretched health systems in low- and middle-income economies.
The new Resolution outlines actions for Member States to bolster health financing by bringing more money for health in domestic budgets and improving public financial management systems to generate the greatest positive impact on population health.
The rapidly changing landscape also calls for a renewed role for WHO; one that will help shift both domestic and global health financing architectures towards country self-reliance and sustainable progress for UHC.
WHO will operationalize the priorities laid out in the Resolution by further strengthening its technical core functions on data analytics, policy and norms, and monitoring and accountability. WHO will also continue to work with countries to strengthen public financing as a cornerstone of resilient health systems that deliver quality, affordable and equitable health for all.
Related document:
EB156(16) [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(16)-en.pdf]
Related links:
Global spending on health: coping with the pandemic [https://www.who.int/teams/health-financing-and-economics/global-spending-on-health-2023] WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the Strategic Roundtable: Data and Sustainable Financing: Twin Foundations to Accelerate UHC – 21 May 2025 [https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-strategic-roundtable–data-and-sustainable-financing–twin-foundations-to-accelerate-uhc—21-may-2025] WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the WHA78 side event – Towards universal health coverage: the centrality of public financing of health at times of crisis – the perils of financialisation – 22 May 2025 [https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-wha78-side-event—towards-universal-health-coverage–the-centrality-of-public-financing-of-health-at-times-of-crisis—the-perils-of-financialisation—22-may-2025]Countries back resolution to boost science-driven health policy and implementation
In a major step to strengthen evidence-based health systems, Member States approved a resolution to enhance national capacities for developing and adapting public health guidance grounded in high-quality scientific evidence.
The decision responds to persistent gaps in countries’ ability to generate, use, and scale context-specific data and guidance — key barriers to improving equitable health outcomes. The Resolution urges governments to invest in systems that support national guideline development, including regulatory frameworks, digital tools, and local research.
It also calls on WHO to maintain the highest standards in its normative products and to support Member States in adapting and implementing these tools at country level. A global framework and action plan are to be developed to foster cross-border collaboration and build regional science capacity. This Resolution marks a renewed global commitment to ensuring that WHO’s guidance leads to real-world impact — in clinics, communities, and health systems worldwide.
Related documents:
EB156/2025/REC/1 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/B156_REC1_EXT-en.pdf] EB156(14): Strengthening National Capacities in Evidence-Based Decision-Making for the Uptake and Impact of Norms and Standards [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_%2814%29-en.pdf]Stepping up efforts to eradicate Guinea worm disease
The world stands at a turning point in the fight against Guinea worm disease. Fourteen years after the last resolution, Member States have adopted a new one — reaffirming global commitment and signaling renewed momentum for eradication. With only 15 human cases reported in 2024 and transmission confined to five endemic countries, this is a pivotal moment to press forward.
This milestone builds on the momentum of the Abu Dhabi Declaration on the Eradication of Guinea Worm Disease (2022) and the N’Djamena Declaration on interrupting the transmission of dracunculiasis (2024). The new Resolution endorses WHO’s revised 2023 eradication strategy, which addresses the increasing threat of dracunculus medinensis infections in animals — particularly in domestic dogs — that risk undermining progress towards global transmission interruption.
WHO now recommends an integrated approach, combining human, animal and environmental health efforts, along with strong laboratory support for case confirmation, and timely data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Related document:
EB 56(23) [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(23)-en.pdf]
Related link:
Fact sheet: Guinea worm disease [https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dracunculiasis-(guinea-worm-disease)]Member States recognize skin diseases as a global public health priority
A [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(24)-en.pdf] resolution [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(24)-en.pdf] on “Skin diseases as a global public health priority” was adopted today at the World Health Assembly. The Resolution expresses the unanimous commitment by Member States to address the burden of all conditions primarily affecting the skin as well as those that are systemic but associated with skin manifestations.
The Resolution is driven by critical gaps that demand urgent action. Skin diseases are among the most visible health conditions, often leading to stigma, discrimination, and emotional distress. Yet when recognized and interpreted accurately, skin signs can enable early detection of a wide range of diseases.
Despite their significant burden, awareness of skin conditions remains low — both among health workers and the general public. Weak surveillance systems further mask their true public health impact. Notably, a small number of common skin conditions account for the vast majority of cases in any community.
The Resolution calls for a country-level coordinated action across all skin diseases — strengthened financing and human resources, surveillance, capacity-building, laboratory diagnostic capacities, access to essential medicines, integration with other programmes, innovative service delivery models, and research. The Resolution also calls for WHO’s leadership in facilitating transformative change and scaling up activities against skin diseases at global, regional, and country levels.
Related link:
EB156(24) [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(24)-en.pdf]Reassignment of Indonesia from the South-East Asia Region to the Western Pacific Region
Member States considered (during the fifth meeting of Committee B on Friday afternoon) the request from the Government of Indonesia for the reassignment of Indonesia from the South-East Asia Region to the Western Pacific Region. Committee B noted the report and approved the Resolution proposed, resolving that Indonesia shall form part of the WHO Western Pacific Region.
Related document:
A78/31 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_31-en.pdf]
[https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/wha58/wha58_29-en.pdf]
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