From Ebola outbreaks in Central Africa to the complex evacuation of passengers aboard a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) opened its annual assembly on Monday as countries grapple with disease outbreaks, deep funding cuts and growing geopolitical tension.
Health ministers and diplomats are in Geneva for the 79th World Health Assembly – a week of negotiations on key topics such as pandemic preparedness, health financing and how to manage public health across borders to save the most lives.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus used the opening session to argue that recent crises had reinforced the need for stronger international cooperation rather than fragmentation.
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“From conflicts to economic crises to climate change and aid cuts, we live in difficult, dangerous and divisive times,” Tedros told delegates.
Cooperation critical
The Assembly convened just one day after the WHO chief declared a public health emergency of international concern over an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has spread into neighbouring Uganda.
At the same time, the agency continues coordinating the international response to the hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, which arrived in the Netherlands on Monday following a complex evacuation and repatriation operation led jointly by Spain and WHO in Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
The remaining crew members who sailed the vessel to the Netherlands now begin a 42-day quarantine period while the ship undergoes full cleaning and disinfection.
Tedros said both emergencies underscored the continued importance of rapid international coordination in responding to cross-border health threats.
Pressure rising
The session in Geneva comes at a turbulent moment for international health systems, as humanitarian crises, climate-related shocks and widening economic pressures increasingly strain public health responses.
WHO itself has faced growing financial uncertainty following steep reductions in donor funding over the past year, forcing the organization to restructure programmes and reduce staffing.
According to WHO budget documents, unpaid assessed contributions from current and previous financial periods totalled nearly $360 million at the end of 2025.
Key reforms
Tedros acknowledged the impact of the cuts but insisted WHO had emerged more resilient after nearly a decade of reforms.
“We have now completed the restructuring process,” he said. “We have reached a position of stability and are moving forward, with purpose and confidence.“
He argued that reforms launched nine years ago had already transformed the organization’s scientific, emergency and financial health.
Among the initiatives highlighted were the creation of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub in South Africa and the Pandemic Fund established jointly with the World Bank, which has provided $1.4 billion in grants to 128 countries.
© WHO/Antoine Tardy WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus addresses the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva. Pandemic agreement
Tedros also pointed to the negotiations that produced the Pandemic Agreement adopted by Member States last year, alongside amendments to the International Health Regulations aimed at strengthening global preparedness for future pandemics.
The final unresolved element remains negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, which countries had hoped to finalise before this week.
“It hasn’t happened yet, but I am confident it will,” Tedros said.
He also linked the current debate over global health financing to broader calls from developing countries for greater “health sovereignty” and less dependence on external aid.
“In the past year, many countries have experienced severe disruptions due to sudden and steep cuts in development assistance,” Tedros said.
“But they had an unintended benefit: they prompted many leaders to say now is the moment to leave behind the era of donor dependency and open a new era of health sovereignty.“
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Broad agenda
Over the coming week, delegates are expected to debate a wide-ranging agenda covering malaria elimination, antimicrobial resistance, mental health, immunization, universal health coverage, digital health and artificial intelligence (AI), emergency preparedness and health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Assembly will also consider proposals to reform the broader global health architecture and strengthen coordination among international institutions. Delegates are also expected to discuss the implications of United States’ notification that they intend to withdraw from WHO.
Ahead of the opening, WHO presented its annual Global Health Leaders Awards, honouring public health figures from Norway, Egypt, Ireland and the Bahamas for contributions ranging from infectious disease control to humanitarian medicine and emergency response.
Among the awardees was Michael Ryan of Ireland, the former Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, who helped lead the organization’s response to COVID-19, Ebola outbreaks and multiple humanitarian crises.
