World Health Assembly (WHA)
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/WHO's coverage of the 77th World Health Assembly, 27 May - 1 June 2024
- PAHO/WHO's coverage of the 76th World Health Assembly, 21-30 May 2023
- WHO: 75th World Health Assembly, 22-28 May 2022
- WHO: Special session of World Health Assembly, 29 November-1 December 2021
- WHO: 74th World Health Assembly, 24-31 May 2021
- WHO: 73rd World Health Assembly, 18-19 May 2020
- PAHO/WHO's coverage of the 72nd World Health Assembly, 20-28 May 2019
- PAHO/WHO's coverage of the 71st World Health Assembly, 21–26 May 2018
- PAHO/WHO's coverage of the 70th World Health Assembly, 22–31 May 2017
- PAHO/WHO's coverage of the 69th World Health Assembly, 23–28 May 2016
- PAHO/WHO's coverage of the 68th World Health Assembly, 18–26 May 2015
PAHO's Coverage of the WHA
Geneva, 30 May 2017 (PAHO / WHO) - Delegates participating in the 70th World Health Assembly today agreed on measures to improve control of disease-carrying vectors to prevent epidemics, as well as policy options and interventions related to prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases through measures on tobacco, sugar-sweetened beverages,…
Geneva, 29 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - Dementia, immunization, the health of refugees and migrants, substandard and falsified drugs, and public health dimensions of the global drug problem were some of the topics delegates agreed upon the 70th World Health Assembly.
Committees A and B met Saturday 27 and Monday 29 May to adopt several resolutions. The…
Geneva, 26 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - The decisions adopted today by the delegations at the World Health Assembly focused on implementation of the International Health Regulations, and on improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.
International Health Regulations…
Geneva, 26 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - The Emergency Medical Team of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) is the first in the Region of the Americas to be accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for its Emergency Medical Teams Initiative.
The Minister of Health of Costa Rica said that it was an honor for his country to receive this…
Geneva, 26 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - The Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade (HRIMB) of Cuba was awarded the prestigious 2017 Dr Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health at a World Health Assembly (WHA) ceremony today.
The USD100,000 award and plaque was received by Cuba's Minister of Health Dr. Roberto Morales Ojeda on behalf of the…
Geneva, 24 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - In a meeting at the World Health Assembly (WHA) today, the Ministry of Health of Ecuador announced its country's adoption of new and sweeping health commitments, in response to the call of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025).
Ecuador's Vice-Minister of Health Dr. Fernando Cornejo…
Geneva, 23 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) today elected Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the new Director-General of WHO.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was nominated for the post by the government of Ethiopia. His five-year mandate will begin on 1 July 2017. After the election, the Director-…
Geneva, 23 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - World Health Assembly delegates today agreed on an ambitious new strategic plan for the next five years. The Organization's 13th General Programme of Work (GPW) is designed to help the world achieve the Sustainable Development Goals - with a particular focus on SDG3: ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing…
Geneva, 23 May 2017 (PAHO/WHO) -The proposed Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas 2018-30 (SHAA2030) was the focus of a well-attended meeting of Heads of Delegation of the Americas at the 70th World Health Assembly today.
Once finalized and approved later this year, the SHAA 2030 will constitute the highest-level strategic…