Asset Publisher

U.S. Mission / Eric Bridiers / flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0

Country Reports

Geneva Telegram - The World Health Assembly – Pandemic accord, sustain-able finance and geopolitics

by Dr. Anja Maria Rittner, Dr. Olaf Wientzek

The "Geneva Telegram" explores events in Geneva-based multilateral organizations on a current topic. This time, the focus is on the 76th World Health Assembly (May 21-30, 2023).

The 76th World Health Assembly (WHA) was the first after the end of the Covid pandemic declared in early May. And yet the experiences made during the Covid-19 crisis shaped the meeting - as evident from many statements on the pandemic accord under discussion. The Member States of the World Health Organisation (WHO) also discussed WHO finances: they greenlighted an increase in the assessed contributions of Member States and discussed possibilities of new financing models.

Asset Publisher

The 76th World Health Assembly (WHA) was the first after the end of the Covid pandemic declared in early May. And yet the experiences made during the Covid-19 crisis shaped the meeting - as evident from many statements on the pandemic accord under discussion. The Member States of the World Health Organisation (WHO) also discussed WHO finances: they greenlighted an increase in the assessed contributions of Member States and discussed possibilities of new financing models. Cases of sexual misconduct by WHO staff and the measures taken by WHO since then were also on the agenda. Repeatedly, the health consequences of war and conflict dominated the agenda: e.g., the WHA adopted (by vote) a resolution criticizing the Russian war of aggression and the numerous attacks on health facilities and personnel in Ukraine. Russia, in turn, tried (unsuccessfully) to block Ukraine's election to the WHO executive board. Despite these disturbances, the WHA managed to pass some important decisions on different issues.

Read the full report here.

Asset Publisher

Contact

Dr. Olaf Wientzek

Olaf Wientzek bild

Director of the Multinational Development Policy Dialogue Brussels

olaf.wientzek@kas.de +32 2 669 31 70
Contact

Dr. Anja Maria Rittner

Portrait von Anja-Maria Rittner.

Research Associate

anjamaria.rittner@kas.de +41 22 748 70 72

comment-portlet

Asset Publisher

About this series

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is a political foundation. Our offices abroad are in charge of over 200 projects in more than 120 countries. The country reports offer current analyses, exclusive evaluations, background information and forecasts - provided by our international staff.