…The outcomes of WHA78 underscore a critical global shift: public health is no longer seen as a sectoral issue but as a cross-cutting imperative that intersects with the environment, digital regulation, workforce planning, and even geopolitical peace. As the world navigates complex crises, from climate change to armed conflict, Member States are calling for health systems that are not only reactive but resilient, inclusive, and equipped to prevent the next generation of global health threats. The real test now lies in implementation, turning resolutions into action that tangibly improves lives across every corner of the globe.
By Bunmi Yekini
Geneva, 26 May 2025 — Member States at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78) have overwhelmingly approved a landmark resolution updating the global strategy to combat the health impacts of air pollution—the world’s largest environmental health threat. The decision signals a renewed international commitment to reducing the devastating toll of polluted air, which currently contributes to approximately 7 million premature deaths annually.
The updated road map builds on previous strategies adopted in 2015 and 2016, aiming to halve the health impacts of air pollution by 2040. It sets the first voluntary global target to this effect and outlines critical steps including enhanced surveillance, improved data synthesis, strengthened institutional capacity, and greater global leadership in addressing the crisis.
“Today, 99% of the world’s population breathes air that fails to meet WHO guidelines,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told delegates. “This resolution is a vital step forward—especially for communities in low-resource settings who face disproportionate risks from toxic air.”
Air pollution is now recognized as the fifth leading risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), alongside tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use. It contributes significantly to strokes, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and childhood pneumonia.
The health burden is especially heavy for marginalized and vulnerable populations, with fragile health systems in developing countries struggling to cope with the compounding effects of environmental degradation and pollution-related illness.
The resolution emphasizes that clean air is a fundamental right and calls for multisectoral approaches that embed air quality monitoring and public health protections into urban planning, transportation, and industrial regulation. WHO will support Member States through technical assistance and coordination, promoting evidence-based action aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In addition to the air pollution resolution, the Assembly passed several other key health decisions:
- Tackling Digital Marketing of Baby Formula: Delegates expanded the scope of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes to address aggressive and deceptive digital marketing practices, including influencer endorsements and hidden sponsorships by baby food companies.
- Investing in Health Workers: A resolution was adopted to address the growing global shortage of health and care workers, now projected to reach 11.1 million by 2030. Countries committed to investing in training, decent work conditions, and ethical recruitment to strengthen health systems worldwide.
- Lead-Free Future: WHO Member States backed a resolution to eliminate exposure to lead and other hazardous chemicals, affirming global health’s role in environmental protection and vowing to reduce pollution-related deaths, which exceed 9 million annually.
- Promoting Traditional Medicine: A new WHO strategy for Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (2025–2034) was approved, recognizing indigenous knowledge while calling for rigorous safety standards and evidence-based practices.
- Preterm Birth Campaign: Delegates declared World Prematurity Day an official WHO health campaign, spotlighting the need for stronger interventions to reduce the world’s leading cause of death among children under five.
- Health and Nuclear War: A resolution on the catastrophic health effects of nuclear conflict was adopted, urging WHO to update its reports and support Member States in highlighting the global health consequences of nuclear war.
- Substandard and Falsified Medicines: Member States agreed to extend the timeline for evaluating global action against substandard and falsified medical products, which are rising dramatically and pose a major threat to health security.
- Raising the Palestinian Flag at WHO: In a symbolic move, Member States agreed that non-Member Observer States of the UN, including Palestine, may have their flags raised at WHO headquarters, reaffirming a commitment to inclusivity without altering Member status.
As the Assembly closed, the tone was one of urgency and cooperation. Delegates affirmed their resolve to address the root causes of ill health—environmental, commercial, and political—through coordinated, equitable, and science-based strategies. WHO leadership hailed the outcomes as a “turning point for global public health” and a step forward in securing healthier lives for future generations.