In 2025, the seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78) will take place in Geneva from 19 to 27 May 2025 with proceedings available via live stream.
The World Health Assembly is the WHO's decision-making body. It's convened every year in May and its main functions are to determine WHO policies, programmes and budgets, in addition to appointing the Director-General.
Resources
WHA78 Advocacy Briefing from the NCD Community
WHA78 Calendar of Events
The NCD Alliance has started publishing a calendar of NCD-relevant events taking place on the sidelines of WHA78.
NCD Alliance co-hosted events
Date & time: Sunday, 18 May 2025, 15:30 – 16:45 CEST
Location: Campus Biotech, 9 Chemin des Mines, 1202 Geneva
Building on the momentum developed at the Global NCD Alliance Forum (Kigali, 13-15 February), and through the civil society participation in the UN Multistakeholder Hearing in (New York, 2nd May), NCD Alliance and World Heart Federation are organising a session at the World Heart Summit, on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly. The event will seek to set the bar high for the HLM4 and beyond. It will provide a platform for open dialogue on the urgent priorities and commitments that must be embedded in the UN HLM Political Declaration, ensuring bold, actionable measures to tackle the burden of NCDs in an evolving global health landscape.
The event is free but registration is required. Learn more and register here
Road to the UN High-Level Meeting
2025 is a pivotal year in the global health agenda, especially for noncommunicable diseases(NCDs) and mental health. This year’s UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health (UN HLM) is a crucial opportunity for advocates to come together and jointly push for progress in this space.
In this light, Boehringer Ingelheim, in collaboration with the NCD Alliance, would like to invite you to a series of events on NCD policies on Monday 19 May at the InterContinental Genève (Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 7-9, 1209 Geneva).
Find out more details about each of them and register here.
Every year more than 10 million people die unnecessarily from consuming tobacco, alcohol, and sugary beverages. Evidence demonstrates that health taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce the consumption of unhealthy products, ideally as part of a strategic public health approach. To consider how to best accelerate the implementation of health taxes, the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, together with the World Health Organization, the Governments of Norway and Tonga, the NCD Alliance and Bloomberg Philanthropies, is convening a short lunch-time discussion on the sidelines of the 2025 World Health Assembly to consider:
- What are the barriers for policymakers to accelerate health taxes implementation?
- How can health research and learning help overcome these barriers?
- How can global institutions and agencies best support the effective implementation of health taxes?
Please RSVP at alliancehpsr@who.int
Political Declaration Zero Draft: Analysis and Discussion from NCD Alliance
Date: Tuesday, 20 May, 14:30 CEST
Location: Zoom webinar
With the zero-draft of the political declaration on NCDs and mental health expected in the coming weeks, NCD Alliance is hosting a webinar to share analysis and intelligence at this critical juncture. We will share analysis of high points in the draft, as well as areas of concern for advocates to bring to member states. We hope you join us to discuss this critical juncture in the lead up to the fourth High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health.
Please register to join the webinar here
Strengthening NCD prevention and care through UHC: a path to equitable and sustainable health systems
Date: Tuesday, 20 May, 15:30 – 17:00
Location: WHA78 Civil Society Networking Space; 9-11 Rue de Varembé, Geneva, Switzerland (Centre de Conférence de Varembé)
Organisers: NCD Alliance EMR (EM-NCDA) and the Global NCD Alliance (NCDA) in collaboration with UHC2030 and the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM for UHC2030)
The event will highlight the importance of integrating NCD prevention and care into UHC as a strategic approach to achieving health equity, investment return, economic sustainability, and gender equality, addressing health system resilience and disparities. This hybrid session will bring together policy makers, NCD advocates, UHC health experts, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders to drive collective action.
Register here for in person attendance. To join virtually, register here
Date: Tuesday, 20 May, 17:00 – 19:00
Location: IFRC- HQs, Auditorium B, Chemin Crêts 17, Petit Saconnex, 1209, Geneva, Switzerland
Co-hosts: IFRC, Danish Red Cross, ICRC, NCD Alliance, IRC, IADA, UNHCR.
The event aims to:
- Position NCD care in humanitarian settings as a global health priority, ensuring that the needs of people living with NCDs are well reflected in the UN resolution to be endorsed at the 2025 UNHLM, while paving the way for future commitments on NCDs.
- Inspire global and national stakeholders to champion the integration of NCD care into emergency preparedness, response, and recovery, advocating for its inclusion in policy platforms to ensure comprehensive and resilient health systems.
- Facilitate the development of multisectoral partnerships with the potential to secure commitments and mobilise sustainable financing for integrating NCD care—including prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care, and MHPSS—into emergency health responses.
- Showcase lessons learned and community-driven solutions from humanitarian contexts, highlighting best practices from implementers and community organisations.
Advancing Inclusive Health Governance: Implementing the WHA77 Resolution on Social Participation for UHC, Health and Well-being
Date: 21 May, 12:30-14:00
Location: 9-11 Rue de Varembé, Geneva, Switzerland (Centre de Conférence de Varembé)
Join us on the sidelines of the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78), for a multi-stakeholder dialogue focused on exploring opportunities for addressing challenges in implementing the WHA77 resolution on social participation for UHC, Health and Well-being to to accelerate progress toward UHC. The event will focus on discussing strategies, particularly at the national and regional levels, for effectively integrating social participation in health decision-making processes, with the aim to foster a meaningful whole-of-society approach that strengthens and promotes more equitable health systems.
Equity and integration: transforming lives and livelihoods through leadership and action on NCDs and the promotion of mental health and well-being
Date: 21 May, 18:00-19:20
Location: Palais des Nations, Room XXIII
Location: Palais des Nations, Room XXIII
In preparation for the upcoming 4th UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health, Barbados, Norway, Spain, NCD Alliance, and United for Global Mental Health organise an official WHA78 side-event. This dialogue will explore concrete country success stories across the building blocks of an effective response. In particular, the discussion will feature:
- Recognition of the urgent need for integrated approaches for addressing the dual burden of NCDs and mental health conditions and achieving Universal Health Coverage that also encompasses links with maternal and sexual and reproductive health and communicable disease comorbidities.
- Understanding of critical enablers for success, including financing mechanisms, access to essential medicines and diagnostics, primary health care integration, action on economic and commercial determinants, and strengthened accountability, data and monitoring.
- Appreciation of innovative country experiences, particularly from Small Island Developing States, that demonstrate practical leadership and multisectoral action.
- Emphasis on lived experience as a driver of more inclusive, effective policies and services.
- Clear framing of priorities and momentum for the Fourth UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health, informing Member States’ preparations and advocacy efforts.
Registration is not required with a UN Palais or World Health Assembly badge
Accelerating Progress on Universal Access to Palliative Care: Learning from country experiences
Date: 22 May, 18:00-20:00
Location: Nations Business Centre, Rue du Pré-de-la-Bichette 1, 1202 Genève
Expected Outcomes:
- Deeper understanding of the burden of serious health-related suffering and country experiences of increasing access to palliative care
- Actionable strategies for NCD and primary care programs and other stakeholders to integrate palliative care into existing programs