Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly – Daily update: 22 May 2026

The World Health Assembly today decided to establish a joint process led by Member States, hosted by WHO and with global health partners to support reforms of the global health architecture.

The Assembly agreed that the process should develop options and recommendations for reforms of the global health architecture to meet the specific and collective needs of countries and communities, to maximize access, impact and equity. The process should draw on existing reform initiatives and relevant elements of the UN80 Initiative.

Member States expressed strong support for WHO’s central convening and normative role, emphasizing that while the process will be Member State-led, it should be taken forward jointly with global health initiatives and UN partners, with meaningful engagement of key stakeholders, including civil society and youth.

The proposal adopted by the Assembly recognized the health improvements generated from the existing global health architecture in recent decades, including in disease control, global norms and standards, and more effective collective action to address cross-border health threats. But Member States noted that the global health architecture had not kept pace with the new and evolving global environment. This included the expansion of national health sovereignty and regional capacities; changing disease burdens and health risks; rapid evolution of science, AI and digital technologies; and contractions in health financing.

In addition, the global health landscape had become more complex due to the expansion in the number of health actors, resulting in power imbalances, fragmentation and duplication, which have impacted country ownership and leadership.

The Health Assembly requested the WHO Director-General to submit a final report with options and recommendations for the transformation of the global health architecture to next year’s World Health Assembly.

The World Health Assembly, meeting in Committee B on the sub item titled “Communications of the United Nations Secretary-General as depositary of the Constitution of the World Health Organization,” considered several proposals regarding Argentina’s withdrawal notification from the World Health Organization, and agreed a compromise text by consensus.

The Assembly, which is mandated under the WHO Constitution to consider such matters, took note of Argentina’s communication and decided that while WHO will always welcome Argentina’s full cooperation in the Organization’s work, no further action at this stage is desirable.