World Health Assembly (WHA)

WHO

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed program budget. The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly — Geneva, 19–27 May 2025


PAHO's Coverage of the WHA
Geneva, 23 May 2018 (PAHO/WHO) - Delivering on an intense agenda, the representatives of the countries participating in the 71st World Health Assembly received a report on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an independent report on the WHO health emergencies programme, and discussed health conditions in the occupied…
Geneva, 21 May 2018 (PAHO/WHO) - The 71st World Health Assembly opened today in Switzerland, with a full agenda and a commemoration of the 70 years the World Health Organization (WHO) has been in existence. In his plenary opening speech, the Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted WHO's new General Programme of Work for…
Geneva, 21 May 2018 (PAHO/WHO) - The Dominican Republic will represent the Region of the Americas as vice president of the 71st World Health Assembly, which takes place from 21 to 26 May in Geneva, Switzerland. The Dominican Minister of Health, Rafael Sánchez Cárdenas, will be one of the five vice presidents of the plenary, a position that…
Geneva, 21 May 2018 (PAHO/WHO) -Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), presented the main issues for discussion at the World Health Assembly to delegations from the countries of the Americas. She stressed the active role the Region plays and called on Member States to continue their work. In her meeting with…
Geneva, 21 May 2018 (PAHO/WHO) - Ministers and delegates from the Region of the Americas began sharing their views on how to achieve "Health for all: commit to universal health coverage," the theme of general debate at the plenary meeting of the 71st World Health Assembly. The region's health ministers explained the measures they have taken to…
Geneva 20 May 2018 (PAHO/WHO) - The former president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet has become the new Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health of the World Health Organization (WHO), the day prior to the opening of the 71st World Health Assembly in Switzerland. Bachelet replaced Graça Machel, widow of South African leader…
Washington, DC / Geneva, Switzerland, 18 May, 2018 (PAHO/WHO) - On 21-26 May, Ministries of Health from the Americas will participate in the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. The Assembly will bring together delegations from the 194 Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO). During the Assembly, a range of issues will…
16 FEBRUARY 2018, Geneva-WHO is announcing today a new high-level comission, comprised of heads of state and ministers, leaders in health and development and entrepreneurs. The group will propose bold and innovative solutions to accelerate prevention and control of the leading killers on the planet-noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like heart and…
Geneva, 31 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - The 70th World Health Assembly closed today, with the adoption of a series of resolutions on major public health issues and the election of a new Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Closing the session, the outgoing Director-General of WHO, Margaret Chan, stressed…