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Grappling with huge shifts in global health funding and challenges to the future of international development, stakeholders including advocates, ministries of health, and high-level leaders, met together for the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, 18-27th May 2025. Over the course of the assembly many confronted a key challenge ahead of us — how best to ensure that the health and well-being of the most vulnerable populations, including women and children, were kept high on the agenda.
Lives on the Line
The WHA week started with the discussion captioned as: Doing Better With Less: Rethinking the Approach to Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, held on 18th May, and co-hosted by the Government of South Africa, Global Leaders Network, and PMNCH together with 11 partners. The event outlined the way forward for global health and strategies for prioritising the world’s most vulnerable populations in light of devastating aid cuts, anti-rights, and anti-sexual and reproductive health and rights pushbacks. Speakers highlighted the power of partnership in delivering real results for the future of women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, while country leaders and partners provided insights on compelling evidence-based and contextualized solutions for addressing the unique needs of these vulnerable populations highlighting a range of issues ranging from adolescents health and well-being, sexual and reproductive health and rights to high burdens of preventable maternal, newborn and child mortality and stillbirths.
The next discussion, held on May 19th, was titled: Future forward: Driving accountability for adolescent health and well-being at WHA78. This dialogue which was co-sponsored by the Governments of India, South Africa, and Norway, and co-hosted by PMNCH, UNICEF, UNFPA, FP2030, and the Global Leaders Network, provided an opportunity to highlight the importance of translating global commitments into real, measurable outcomes for the world’s 1.3 billion adolescents. Panelists noted the role of data in assessing gaps in services for the health and well-being of adolescents and driving policy shifts, critical need for long-term investments in adolescent health and well-being, importance of addressing adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, while strong calls for multisectoral responses also echoed throughout the event.
Championing women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health (WCAH)
Across the assembly, PMNCH along with an array of partners co-organized various dialogues to spotlight women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health issues. These included events focused on maternal mortality, adolescent sexual health and rights, gender-equality and gender-responsiveness in health systems, women’s leadership, as well as the role of regions in progressing the global health agenda, and prioritization of women’s, children’s, and adolescents' health.
A resounding message throughout the assembly proceedings was that, “partnerships lie at the core of us delivering in these challenging times,” noted by Rajat Khosla, PMNCH Executive Director in his remarks. “Let’s work together. Let’s stand together. This requires the best of all of us.” A full list of these events can be found here.
Women, children and adolescents in WHA78 agenda Items
Accelerating HPV vaccination and the elimination of cervical cancer
One of the critical agenda items focused on the global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2030, including the designation of November 17th as World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day. Member States discussed the urgent need for expanding HPV vaccination, cervical screening, and treatment, core components of sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially in low- and middle-income countries where incidence and mortality remain highest due to entrenched inequities in health access.
Universal health coverage (UHC), primary health care, Aligning health goals with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
Noting that global progress in achieving UHC remains off track, the agenda stressed the importance of building resilient, equitable systems through primary health care, with specific emphasis on ensuring essential services for women, children, and adolescents are not deprioritized amid fiscal constraints. A roadmap was introduced to guide progress toward the 2027 High-Level Meeting on UHC. Similarly, the assembly also discussed current progress on SDG targets, including those related to maternal, newborn, and under-five child mortality.
Strengthening the health workforce
WHA78 discussions on the Global Strategy on human resources for health: workforce 2030 emphasized the need for greater investment in health worker education, equitable employment opportunities, and the protection of healthcare workers from violence and discrimination.
Climate change and environmental threats
The assembly addressed issues of air pollution and climate change, both of which have noted direct impacts on the health of pregnant women, infants and children, as well as knock on effects including disruptions to sexual and reproductive health services and disproportionate impact on low-and-middle income countries.
Migrant health
Assembly discussion stressed a need to focus on the health of refugees and migrants and the unique challenges facing displaced populations, particularly women, girls, and adolescents as part of the WHO global action plan for the health of refugees and migrants. This included the need for culturally appropriate and comprehensive services that address maternal, mental, and adolescent health issues.
Violence against women and children
The Assembly also reviewed progress on global efforts to address interpersonal violence, particularly gender-based violence and violence against children, including the specific role of health system strengthening and multisectoral responses.
Agenda Item 13.9 Update on the Global Strategy on women's, children’s and adolescents' health
During Committee A, the progress update on the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health was presented. In the discussions that followed, Member States emphasized several key priorities: the urgent need to invest in community-level care and the health workforce to ensure delivery of life-saving interventions; the importance of equitable financing and targeted support for vulnerable women and girls, particularly in humanitarian and conflict settings; and the critical role of multisectoral approaches in advancing the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents. Members States also welcomed the adoption of two significant resolutions—one recognizing World Prematurity Day in the WHO calendar, and another addressing the regulation of digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes.
See our Advocacy brief on the Progress Update on Global Strategy for Women's Children's and Adolescent's Health HERE
Advocacy products and media
To support advocacy around WHA78, PMNCH produced a range of strategic communications and media products for partners. These included a set of Key Advocacy Messages providing a progress update on current issues and evidence-based solutions for accelerating progress on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health. In addition, PMNCH tracked Member State interventions on agenda item 13.9, culminating in a summary report and press release led by WHS, with a focus on countries in the WHO African Region and contributions from the Global Leaders Network states. Media engagement during the Assembly included a press release and interviews with Dr. Mebratu of Ethiopia on Channel Africa and Minister Motsoaledi on SABC TV news.
At the close of another insightful World Health Assembly, PMNCH would like to thank its partners for all ongoing and tireless efforts to advance progress on women's, children's and adolescents' health and well-being. Now more than ever, multisectoral collaboration and partnership are crucial to furthering advocacy efforts to keep vulnerable populations at the center of the global health agenda and ensure that no one is left behind.