The world’s nations have made a monumental step forward in the fight against global health threats by adopting amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) at the World Health Assembly. These amendments, which were two years in the making, are based on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, as the IHR had not been updated for nearly 20 years. The goal of these amendments is to strengthen global preparedness, surveillance and response to public health emergencies, including pandemics.
While negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement are still underway, the Health Assembly has extended the mandate of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to finalize negotiations on the agreement as soon as possible. This demonstrates that even in a divided world, countries can come together to address common challenges and find common ground.
In addition to the IHR amendments, Member States have also approved the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, which outlines the global health strategy for the next four years. The WHO Investment Round was launched to gather funding for this strategy, with several countries already pledging their support.
The World Health Assembly has also adopted resolutions on numerous topics such as antimicrobial resistance, climate change and health, infection prevention and control, maternal and child health, mental health in emergencies and social participation in primary healthcare.
The theme of this year’s World Health Assembly was ‘All for Health and Health for All’, and Member States have embodied this theme by working together towards common goals. While disagreements may arise
