(AGENPARL) – Mon 26 May 2025 No images? Click here https://hq_who_departmentofcommunications.cmail20.com/t/d-e-shkdhud-iitylyihjr-k/
Monday, 26 May 2025
Seventy-eighth World Health AssemblyDaily update: 26 May 2025
[https://www.who.int/news/item/26-05-2025-seventy-eighth-world-health-assembly—daily-update–26-may-2025]
Countries overwhelmingly agree on a new voluntary target for air pollution and health
Member States at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly strongly approved an updated road map for an enhanced global response to the adverse health effects of air pollution, reaffirming their commitment to protect populations from the world’s largest environmental health risk. The decision updates the 2016 strategy endorsed under WHA69/18 and builds on the landmark resolution WHA68.8 adopted in 2015.
Today, 99% of the world’s population breathes air that does not meet WHO air quality guidelines. The health burden from air pollution falls disproportionately on vulnerable and marginalized populations, particularly in low-resource settings where fragile health systems face compound challenges.
Air pollution is responsible for approximately 7 million deaths annually, primarily from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer as well as pneumonia. It is now recognized as the fifth major risk factor for NCDs alongside tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol.
The updated road map sets the first voluntary target to halve the health impacts of air pollution by 2040 through improved surveillance, knowledge synthesis, institutional capacity building, and global leadership. It provides practical guidance for health authorities to advocate for clean air, inform policy, and protect communities – especially those most at risk.
With this new Resolution, WHO and its Member States commit to scaling up action to monitor, prevent, and mitigate the health impacts of air pollution. The decision represents a critical step toward cleaner air, healthier lives, and accelerated progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Related documents:
A78/4 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_4-en.pdf], EB156/24 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_24-en.pdf], EB156/2025/REC/1, decision EB156(33) [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(33)-en.pdf]Countries commit to regulate the digital marketing of formula milk and baby foods
In a new resolution, Member States agreed to expand the provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (the Code) to tackle the digital marketing of formula milk and baby foods.
Over recent years, new tactics for digital marketing have proliferated, for instance through influencer endorsements, virtual “support groups”, and personal targeting of pregnant women and new parents across their social media feeds. Many of these promotions are funded by baby food companies but their sponsorship is undisclosed. Advertisements are widely circulated across national borders – creating new challenges for regulation.
In line with recent guidance from WHO, the 2025 Resolution calls for robust efforts to develop, strengthen and coordinate the regulation of digital marketing to protect children’s health. It calls on countries to build effective systems for monitoring and enforcement.
Despite the existence of the Code, a major study [https://www.who.int/news/item/22-02-2022-more-than-half-of-parents-and-pregnant-women-exposed-to-aggressive-formula-milk-marketing-who-unicef] from WHO and UNICEF found that over half of new parents had been exposed to promotions from formula milk companies. In some countries, this was over 90%. The new Resolution covers the marketing of formula milks, teats and bottles, as well as foods for infants and young children.
Related document:
EB156/CONF./16 Rev. 1 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_CONF16Rev1-en.pdf]
Related links:
Member States reaffirmed their commitment to protect and invest in the global health and care workforce, identifying specific actions to address national shortages, conditions of work and the increasing rates of health worker migration.
Countries adopted a [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_CONF14-en.pdf] resolution [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_CONF14-en.pdf] – sponsored by Germany, Morocco, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Thailand – calling for accelerated investment in health professionals’ education, job creation, and retention; improved working conditions; and a harnessing of the potential of digital technologies and AI in support of health workers.
The Assembly also considered new data and recommendations on the international migration of health workers and how to strengthen ethical recruitment in alignment with the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel [https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/wha68.32]. A record 105 countries reported on international migration.
The Assembly noted the findings of the Code’s third review and endorsed a decision to hold regional consultations on the draft findings of the Expert Advisory Group in 2025, including on its emphasis on mutual benefits, co-investment and sustainable solutions, alongside better regulation of private recruitment and inclusion of care workers.
Related documents:
EB156/CONF./14 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_CONF14-en.pdf] EB156/14 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_14-en.pdf]Countries approve a landmark resolution for a lead-free future
With broad support, countries approved a resolution galvanizing global support for a lead-free future. The Resolution affirms the global health sector’s commitment to tackle exposure to lead, one of WHO’s top 10 chemicals of major public health concern. [https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/chemical-safety-and-health/health-impacts/chemicals]
Member states also acknowledged that exposure to hazardous chemicals and pollution contributes to over 9 million premature deaths annually – one in six globally – with a disproportionate impact on populations in vulnerable situations, especially children, pregnant women, and communities in low- and middle-income countries.
Member States are urged to reduce exposures to hazardous chemicals, such as lead, mercury, persistent organic pollutants and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, by integrating health into environmental policies and regulations and improving waste management systems, including for growing challenges related to plastics and e-waste pollution.
Countries committed to implementing WHO’s chemicals roadmap, and enhancing national capacities and global cooperation through multilateral agreements such as the Global Framework on Chemicals, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
WHO will consult with countries and translate Resolution EB156(32) into a Global action plan on lead mitigation and continue providing technical assistance and guidance in strengthening health sector leadership, to protect communities from preventable health risks due to hazardous chemicals, waste and pollution.
By adopting EB156(32) and acknowledging exposure to lead and other chemicals, waste and pollution as threats to health, Member States have taken a decisive action toward addressing environmental determinants and the root causes of ill health, advancing health equity, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Related documents:
The impact of chemicals, waste and pollution on human health A78/4 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_4-en.pdf]EB156/2025/REC/1 EB156(32) [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(32)-en.pdf] Member States agree on a new global traditional medicine strategy for 2025–2034
Members of the World Health Assembly agreed on the new WHO global traditional medicine strategy to take forward development of evidence-based practice of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) into the next decade. In arriving at this Strategy, Member States debated crucial components for inclusion, such as establishing a robust evidence base for traditional medicine practices, developing mechanisms for regulation and safety, creating integrated health-care service delivery models where appropriate, and ensuring qualified practitioners.
With this Strategy, the Member States explicitly recognized not only the role of traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples but also the upholding their rights, while promoting environmental sustainability and biodiversity conservation in the context of TCIM.
Under the 2025-2034 strategy, WHO will assist Member States in strengthening the evidence base for TCIM, bolstering safety, quality and effectiveness, and, where appropriate, facilitating its integration into health systems while optimizing cross-sector collaboration.
Implementation and monitoring of the Strategy are key elements. WHO will support Member States in implementing and adapting the Strategy, providing guidance and technical assistance as needed.
This new Strategy aims to unlock the full potential of TCIM to improve global health and well-being in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and universal health coverage (UHC).
Related links:
EB156(28) [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_(28)-en.pdf]World Prematurity Day approved as a mandated global health campaign
Endorsing the urgent need for action on preterm births, Member States agreed to announce World Prematurity Day as an official WHO health campaign. The campaign will complement efforts to improve prevention of preterm births and ensure lifesaving health care for babies born early or small.
Preterm births are defined as births that occur before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Related complications, which include difficulties breathing as well as infections and hypothermia, are the leading cause of death amongst children aged under 5 years. Those who survive can face significant and long-term disability and ill health.
The Resolution also calls on countries to invest in proven high-impact interventions – like special newborn care units, kangaroo mother care and family support — that improve outcomes for babies born early or small.
The campaign was approved as part of discussions on the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030), and is aligned with last year’s Resolution [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA77/A77_R5-en.pdf] to accelerate progress in improving maternal, newborn, and child survival.
Related document:
EB156/CONF./12 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_CONF12-en.pdf]
Related link:
Fact sheet on preterm birth [https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preterm-birth]Member States agree on actions addressing the health impacts of nuclear war
Countries agreed on a resolution entitled “Effects of Nuclear War on Public Health”. The Resolution was proposed by Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), New Zealand, Peru, Samoa, and Vanuatu. It underscores the serious health risks posed by nuclear weapons and reaffirms WHO’s constitutional principle that health is fundamental to peace and security.
Recalling past WHO and UN resolutions and reports, the Resolution highlights the long-standing recognition of the devastating health and environmental consequences of nuclear war. Nuclear war would have catastrophic consequences for human health – both immediate and long-term. At the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024, Member States raised an alarm on the rising threat of nuclear conflict, calling it an existential risk to humanity, and reaffirmed their commitment to total nuclear disarmament.
The new Resolution requests the WHO Director-General to update earlier reports on nuclear war’s impacts on health and health systems, cooperate with relevant stakeholders and UN bodies, and report back to the World Health Assembly by 2029. It also encourages Member States to support this work, in line with their national contexts and legal frameworks, recognizing that preventing nuclear war is essential for global health, security, and the survival of humanity.
Related documents:
A78/A/CONF./1 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_ACONF1-en.pdf] World Health Assembly, 36. (‎1983)‎. Effects of nuclear war on health and health services: report of the International Committee of Experts in Medical Sciences and Public Health to implement resolution WHA34.38. World Health Organization. [https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/159417] World Health Assembly, 46. (‎1993)‎. Health and environmental effects of nuclear weapons: report by the Director-General. World Health Organization. [https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/175987]Assembly to review substandard and falsified medical products report in 2026
Countries approved a decision to provide additional time to finalize the report of the fourteenth meeting of the Member State mechanism (MsM) regarding global health threats posed by substandard and falsified (SF) medical products. The final report will now be submitted to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in 2026, via the 158th session of the Executive Board.
This decision follows a request by the Steering Committee of the MsM for more time to consider specific recommendations from the 2023 independent evaluation, particularly those concerning potential revisions to the mechanism’s format. WHO is actively supporting this process by providing both legal and operational guidance.
With an estimated 1 in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries being substandard or falsified, and economic losses ranging from US$ 75 to 200 billion annually, the stakes are high. SF incidents nearly tripled between 2019 and 2023, exacerbated by online distribution, weak regulatory oversight and surveillance, and humanitarian crises.
Established through Resolution WHA65.19 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA65-REC1/A65_REC1-en.pdf#page=25] in 2012, the MsM has served as a cornerstone of WHO’s global strategy, enabling countries to collaborate in preventing, detecting, and responding to SF medical products. The 2023 evaluation reaffirmed the mechanism’s relevance and underscored its unique role in global coordination. However, it also called for improvements, including regional engagement, broader stakeholder collaboration, and enhanced operational agility.
WHO reiterated its full commitment to reinforcing the mechanism as a cornerstone of global health security, calling on continued engagement from governments, pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, donors and civil society.
Related documents:
WHA76(10) [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA76/A76(10)-en.pdf] EB156/12 [https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/evaluation-office/b156_12-en.pdf] Substandard and falsified medical products [https://apps.who.int/gb/sf/index.html]
Related links:
WHO Member State Mechanism [https://www.who.int/teams/regulation-prequalification/incidents-and-SF/mechanism]Flags of non-Member Observer States
Delegates decided that “the flags of non-Member Observer States at the United Nations shall be raised at the World Health Organization… and does not constitute Member State status in the World Health Organization.” The discussion focused specifically on having the Palestinian flag raised at WHO, as a non-Member Observer State, and cited UN resolution 20.15 as a basis for the flag to be raised there.
Related document:
A78/B/CONF./2 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_BCONF2-en.pdf]Considering the withdrawal of a Member State
There was a request for the Executive Board, at its meeting in January 2026, to consider the withdrawal of Argentina and to submit a report thereon to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly.
Related document:
A78/33 Add.1 [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_33Add1-en.pdf]
Additional information:
Media contacts: