WHO opens annual assembly in Geneva

The World Health Organization opened its annual assembly in Geneva on Monday with Ebola outbreaks in Central Africa, a hantavirus-linked cruise-ship scare and a widening funding squeeze hanging over the meeting. The 79th World Health Assembly, which runs from May 18 to May 23, elected Dr. Víctor Elías Atallah Lajam of the Dominican Republic as its president, WHO said. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said the outbreaks were unfolding in “dangerous and divisive” times. Delegates are also meeting as uncertainty persists over support from some member states and over how the agency will finance its work. ### Which outbreaks are colliding with the Geneva meeting? Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda were among the immediate crises cited as the assembly opened on May 18. UN News said delegates were confronting active outbreaks in Central Africa at the same time as broader funding and political strains on the agency. UPI reported on May 17 that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had mobilized its offices in both countries in response to the Ebola situation. (who.int) A hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship also entered the assembly discussion. UN News described a “complex evacuation” of passengers from a hantavirus-stricken vessel, while WHO said last week the event posed a low global public-health risk and was not the start of another COVID pandemic. RFI separately reported that French authorities said one infection tied to the ship remained isolated. ### What exactly did Tedros say as ministers convened? (news.un.org) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that the Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks were signs of “dangerous and divisive” times, according to RFI’s report from Geneva. His remarks came as health ministers gathered under pressure from simultaneous emergencies and from disputes over how global health cooperation should be funded and organized. (news.un.org) Geneva is hosting the assembly at WHO headquarters as governments weigh outbreak control against longer-running institutional questions. WHO’s own meeting page says the proceedings are being webcast live in six official languages, underscoring that the assembly is the organization’s main annual decision-making forum. ### Why is money such a large part of this year’s assembly? WHO entered the meeting after months of warnings about financial strain. (rfi.fr) UN News reported in February that the agency said cuts to international aid and persistent funding gaps were putting global health systems at risk. The May 18 assembly coverage from UN News said delegates were now grappling with “deep funding cuts” alongside active outbreaks. American and Argentinian withdrawal uncertainty has added to that pressure, according to reporting cited in the briefing material for this story. (who.int) WHO’s formal agenda for the assembly includes the programme budget for 2026-2027, placing financing questions directly before member states this week. ### Isn’t the pandemic treaty already done? The World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement on May 20, 2025, after more than three years of negotiations, WHO said. (news.un.org) The agreement was presented as a legally binding international instrument aimed at improving pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. This year’s debate is therefore less about whether the agreement exists than about implementation and how it will sit alongside other WHO rules and budget decisions. (who.int) The House of Commons Library, cited in the briefing material, described the process as part of a broader effort to clarify how the agreement relates to existing International Health Regulations. That means delegates in Geneva are discussing pandemic governance while emergency teams are responding to live outbreaks. (who.int) ### What happens next in Geneva this week? The Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly is scheduled to continue through May 23 in Geneva, according to WHO’s official meeting page. WHO said the session includes daily updates and live webcasts, and the assembly’s formal business includes budget matters and other resolutions before member states. May 23 is the next clear milestone for delegates, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and assembly president Víctor Elías Atallah Lajam, when the week’s negotiations and votes are due to conclude in Geneva. (who.int 1) (who.int 2) (who.int 3)