World Health Assembly Adopts 13 Resolutions on Stroke, TB, Radiation and Health Workforce

Member States at the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in Geneva adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions covering stroke, liver disease, tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, diagnostic imaging, emergency care, haemophilia, precision medicine and radiation.

The Assembly also approved an agreement to reform the global health architecture through a Member State-led, WHO-hosted joint process.

States approved amendments to the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. The changes extend the Code to care workers, clarify its use during emergencies, and encourage co-investment so that source and destination countries both benefit.

The revisions follow recommendations from an Expert Advisory Group appointed by the WHO Director-General. Since the Code’s adoption in 2010, this is the first substantive update in 16 years.

Delegates adopted the Strategy on the economics of health for all (2026–2030). The plan calls for integrating health into economic, fiscal and industrial policies and for sustainable financing of universal health coverage. Member States cited a global health financing emergency and stressed the need for well-being-oriented economies.

The Assembly passed its first resolution on radiation and health, addressing both ionizing and non-ionizing sources. Countries committed to improved exposure monitoring, workforce training, and integration of radiation risk management into public health programs.

The resolution also requests WHO to map global actors and initiatives on radiation protection and emergency preparedness. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told delegates at the close of the meeting that adopted resolutions gain value only when they change outcomes in clinics, communities and households.