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79th World Health Assembly Reaches Series of Agreements

The 79th World Health Assembly concluded on May 23 in Geneva, Switzerland. Over the 6-day session, member states reached a series of consensus and adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions covering health issues including stroke, liver disease, tuberculosis, and radiation.

The theme of this year’s assembly is “Reimagining Global Health: Shared Responsibility”. In his closing summary, Assembly President Dr. Victor Atallah Rajam, Minister of Health of the Dominican Republic, stated that the assembly focused on the core mission of protecting human health and reached a series of agreements on public health emergency response, antimicrobial resistance, human organ transplantation and other issues, which will exert extensive influence. Against the backdrop of intensifying global geopolitical conflicts, frequent public health emergencies and severe challenges to the multilateral system, the progress made at this assembly demonstrates the strength of multilateralism.

According to the World Health Organization, the assembly also discussed a number of administrative issues, including agreeing to a member state-led, WHO-hosted joint process to reform the global health architecture.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged member states in his closing address to swiftly translate the assembly’s outcomes into action. He said achieving the relevant goals “requires political commitment, sustained financial investment and continued cooperation among member states, partners and communities”.