154th World Health Organization -WHO Executive Board Meeting Kicks Off

The 154th World Health Organization Executive Board Meeting is set to kick off on January 22, 2024, and wrap up on January 27, 2024, at the prestigious WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. 

With 34 highly qualified members dedicated to shaping global health, the executive board plays a pivotal role in influencing decisions and policies concerning international health. 

These experts steer the course for public health, medical infrastructure, and global responses to disease outbreaks, ensuring the world stays on the path to well-being.

The 34 members are state representatives appointed regionally on a rotational basis for a three-year term. They include representatives from

Africa: Cameroon, Comoros, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo. 

Americas: Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Paraguay, Peru, United States of America. 

South-East Asia: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Maldives,  Timor-Leste. 

Europe: Belarus, Denmark, France, Republic of Moldova, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine. 

Eastern Mediterranean: Afghanistan, Morocco, Qatar, Syria, Yemen. 

Western Pacific: Australia, China, Micronesia, Japan, Malaysia. 

The executive board meetings are held annually with discussions on important health topics and the globe’s health priorities. Here’s what to expect at the 154th session:

• The executive board will draft a proposal for an investment round to finance its next strategic period (2025 – 2028).
• With severe financial constraints, the executive board will call on WHO’s partners to finance the next strategic period, 2025 through 2028. 
• More than 70 countries will hold major elections this year. How the World Health Organization will address this is a topic that will be tackled at the executive board meeting. 
• The executive board will issue a clear call on behalf of the WHO for access to deliver essential medical supplies and needed health intervention in the conflict zone of Gaza. 
• A detailed report will also be presented on the general state of health in Gaza as well as details on the WHO’s delivery of needed supplies and support. 
• An update on the crisis in Ukraine in February 2023 will be presented at the executive board session. 
• An update on the adoption of the proposed pandemic agreement, a plan that will enable the world to respond better to the next pandemic, (disease x) will be given at the WHO’s executive board meeting. 
• The executive board will consider the WHO report and update on climate and health including the recent release of its operational framework for building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems. 
• WHO’s role in reducing plastic and chemical pollution through the governing body of the United Nations will also be considered and agreed upon by the board. 
• Another update at the executive board meeting will be on the universal health coverage all countries made last year at the UN General Assembly. 
• The progress on Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) will be explored at the meeting. The polio eradication and polio transition plans will also be open for discussion. 

These key agendas will be previewed at the WHO’s executive board meeting by the 34 state representatives. They will later on be presented and decided upon at the general meeting of the 194 member states at the World Health Assembly happening in May.