World Health Assembly concludes with historic pandemic agreement adopted

The nine-day 78th World Health Assembly concluded in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday, during which member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the much-anticipated global pandemic agreement and approved the base program budget of over $4 billion for 2026-2027.

The WHO noted that the adoption of the pandemic agreement concludes more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the goal of making the world safer and more equitable in response to future pandemics.

"The WHO pandemic agreement will run among the most significant achievements in the history of this organization and of global health," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus after the global pact's adoption, underscoring that it places humanity in a stronger position than ever before to prepare for and respond to pandemics.

Delegates at the assembly approved a base program budget of $4.2 billion for 2026-2027 based on the 14th General Program of Work, the global health strategy developed by the United Nations specialized agency for the next four years. The budget presented to the assembly was decreased from the initial $5.3 billion submitted to the executive board in February.

The assembly adopted a range of decisions and resolutions, including strengthening health financing globally, adopting a new global traditional medicine strategy, galvanizing global support for a lead-free future, committing to improving nutrition for mothers and young children, updating the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance and setting a voluntary target to halve the health impacts of air pollution by 2040.

In addition, the decisions and resolutions passed by the assembly also address areas such as lung health, kidney health, rare diseases, skin diseases, digital health, medical imaging, healthcare workforce, nursing and midwifery.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the assembly and delivered a speech at a high-level welcoming ceremony. The Chinese delegation participated in the review of over 70 agenda items throughout the assembly, hosted three thematic side events and held exchange activities with the WHO and delegations from relevant countries.