World Health Assembly
Governing body of the World Health Organization.
The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO), composed of health ministers from its 193 member states. It serves as the world's highest health policy-setting forum, meeting annually in Geneva to decide major policies, approve the budget, and elect the WHO Director-General. Its decisions shape global health frameworks and responses to health emergencies.
Quick Facts
- Abbreviation
- WHA
- Leader
- Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari (Kuwait)
- Formation
- 1948
- Headquarters
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Parent organization
- World Health Organization
- Membership
- 194 Countries
Facts from the source article.
Members, observers and rules
The WHA originally had 55 member states at its first assembly in 1948 and now includes 193 member states, comprising all UN members except Liechtenstein and the United States, plus the Cook Islands and Niue. Two associate members are Puerto Rico and Tokelau. Seven agencies hold observer status: the Vatican, the Palestinian Authority, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the South Centre organization, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The Assembly follows its Rules of Procedure, with agenda items set by the General Committee of 25 individuals, including the President and subcommittee chairs. Taiwan participated as an observer under the name "Chinese Taipei" from 2008 to 2016; since the 71st WHA in 2017, Chinese government pressure has prevented its participation, though the United States, Australia, Germany, and Japan support its re-inclusion.
Executive board
Each year the WHA elects members to renew the executive board, which is governed by Articles 24 through 29 of the WHO Constitution. The board must have equitable geographic distribution, with members elected for three years and eligible for re-election. It meets at least twice a year, invariably in Geneva, and a current list of members can be derived from annual assembly summaries.
Resolutions
The WHA has adopted major international policy frameworks through resolutions, including the International Health Regulations, the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (1981), the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (2003), and the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel (2010). It has endorsed WHO action plans for eradicating smallpox (endorsed 1959, declared successful 1980) and polio (endorsed 1988, reaffirmed 2011), controlling hookworm infection (2001), workers' health (2007), harmful alcohol use (2010), and non-communicable diseases (2011). The WHA also endorses the WHO Family of International Classifications, including the International Classification of Diseases and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.
Annual Assemblies
The 61st WHA focused on public health, with 190 countries and a record 2704 delegates. Briefings and resolutions addressed intellectual property barriers in research, non-communicable diseases, female genital mutilation, breastfeeding support, alcohol and tobacco abuse, immunization practices including the term "pharma fraud," and migrant health. At the 62nd WHA, Sarah Brown and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave keynote speeches on maternal mortality. The 65th Assembly endorsed the Rio Political Declaration on social determinants of health and the first World Immunization Week. She attributed health improvements in poor countries (1993–2013) to Millennium Development Goals' poverty alleviation focus, and announced global action plans for noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and avoidable blindness, calling for equity through universal health coverage and integrated service delivery.
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