World Health Assembly 70 ©️ NCD Alliance
World Health Assembly 70 ©️ NCD Alliance

NCDs at the 74th World Health Assembly

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24th May 2021

The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all World Health Organization (WHO) Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. The WHA is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland. 

This year's WHA74

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WHA74 will take place virtually again. The sessions can be watched live from Monday 24 May 2021 until Tuesday 1 June 2021 here. To follow the discussions, check out the WHA's provisional agenda here. 

The World Health Assembly agenda shall be based upon four pillars:

  • Pillar 1: One billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage 

  • Pillar 2: One billion more people better protected from health emergencies  

  • Pillar 3: One billion more people enjoying better health and well-being  

  • Pillar 4: More effective and efficient WHO providing better support to countries  

Within the agenda, the most relevant items have been identified for the NCD community. These include: 

1.      Item 13.2: Follow-up to the Third UN HLM NCDs

  • Oral health resolution

  • GCM decision

  • Diabetes proposed resolution

2.    Item 13.4 Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property - proposed resolution

3.      Item 13.9: Integrated people-centred eye care – resolution

4.     Item 15: Health workforce - proposed resolutions

5.      Item 16: Global Strategy on Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health: Rheumatic heart disease

6.     Item 17: Public health emergencies: preparedness and response - proposed resolution

  • 17.1 COVID-19 response 

  • 17.3 WHO’s work in health emergencies

7.      Item 22.1: Social determinants of health - resolution

NCD Alliance's WHA74 Advocacy Briefing Note

This briefing note provides background and key advocacy messages on the NCD Alliance’s priorities for the 74thWorld  Health  Assembly (WHA74) in 2021. This note deals with key noncommunicable disease (NCD)-relevant items in the order of the provisional agenda of WHA74. You can download the advocacy briefing note here. 

NCD Alliance Calendar of WHA74 Side events

A full list of side events from the NCD Alliance and the NCD community on NCDs and WHA74 can be found in our event page here. 

Keep up with NCD Alliance at WHA74 through social media!

To keep up to date with the relevant NCD-related news, decisions, resolutions and statements follow us on Twitter here: @NCDAlliance

You can also keep up to date with the WHA74 by following the hashtags  #WHA74 and #ActOnNCDs

2021 World Health Assembly, 74th World Health Assembly, WHA74, WHO