Opening session of the WHO's 79th World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva

WHA79

Coverage of the seventy-ninth World Health Assembly

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects an honor guard during the official welcoming ceremony at the national palace, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 16, 2025.

Public Health as Diplomacy: China's Southeast Asia Strategy

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China's contributions to Southeast Asia grow more significant as the United States scales back its global health commitments

Delegates attend the 79th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 18, 2026.

World Health Assembly Recap: Financial Crunch, Affected Mandates, and Future Leadership

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This year's assembly revealed competing visions for the future as global health architecture faces forced transformation

The World Health Assembly Reacts to the Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak

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A Chatham House fellow reports from WHA79 about how the new Ebola emergency has advanced conversations about actionable health reform

The regional supply chain lead for emergencies at the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Africa pastes stickers on shipment pallets that are being sent in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 18, 2026.

Hantavirus Outbreak Tests Global Health Law Amid WHO Crisis

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As international negotiations stall around pathogen access and benefit sharing, the Andes virus outbreak exemplifies why the system is needed

Civil guard members approach the cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, on a motorboat, at the port of Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Spain, on May 11, 2026.

Centering Women, Children, and Adolescents in Global Health Reform

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In an era of fiscal pressure, omission does not produce neutrality; it can produce retrenchment by default

Health workers attend to a mother and her infant at the Mother and Child Hospital, in Kasoa, Ghana, on November 19, 2025.

No One Wins If Multilateralism for Health Loses

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Inaction on the global health reform agenda is not a neutral choice; it is a decision to impede or even undermine progress

French President Emmanuel Macron, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and other delegates pose for photo during the One Health Summit in Lyon, France, on April 7, 2026.

Argentina, the WHO, and an Exit Door That Doesn't Exist

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Argentina's proposed departure from the World Health Organization raises complex legal questions about treaty withdrawal and global health governance

Argentinian President Javier Milei speaks at an event, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 29, 2026.

Why India's Digital Governance Model Matters for Global Health

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India's distinct approach to digital and AI governance centers on shared public infrastructure

A model of a robotic surgical system by Wipro Intelligence is exhibited at Bharat Mandapam, at the AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, on February 16, 2026.

Busting 10 Myths About Health Taxes

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Ahead of the World Health Assembly, Resolve to Save Lives CEO Tom Frieden discusses how health taxes can raise money and improve physical well-being

A street vendor selects cigarettes for a customer, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on May 27, 2024.