Geneva: The State of Qatar is set to participate in the 78th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 19 to 27. Alongside the assembly, Qatar will engage in several related events, notably the 62nd session of the Council of Arab Ministers for Health and its Executive Office meetings on May 18-19, as well as the Second Strategic Dialogue between Qatar and the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 16. The Qatari delegation is headed by HE Minister of Public Health Mansoor bin Ebrahim bin Saad Al Mahmoud.
According to Qatar News Agency, Qatar is also organizing a side event at the World Health Assembly titled “Accelerating impact of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021-2030: investing in a continuum of care and age-friendly environments.” This event is scheduled for May 19 at the UN Palace in Geneva, with broad participation from countries and international organizations.
The current World Health Assembly is themed “One World for Health” and will address several key topics, including health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan. The sessions will also cover important issues aligned with the four pillars of WHO, including ensuring additional people benefit from universal health coverage, helping people lead healthier lives, protecting more people from health emergencies, and enhancing WHO’s efficiency and effectiveness.
Discussions will focus on strengthening the global framework for health emergency preparedness, prevention of non-communicable diseases, sustainable financing, antimicrobial resistance, and WHO’s global strategy on health, environment, and climate change. The World Health Assembly serves as WHO’s decision-making body, with delegations from all member states participating. Its main functions include policy-setting, appointment of the Director-General, oversight of financial policies, and approval of the program budget.
The State of Qatar delegation will also take part in the Program, Budget, and Administration Committee of the WHO Executive Board from May 14 to 16, as well as the 157th session of the WHO Executive Board on May 28-29 in Geneva. The board’s primary role is to implement World Health Assembly policies and decisions, advise the Assembly, and facilitate its operations.