WHO’s 79th World Health Assembly Concludes in Geneva, Switzerland

Current Context: From 18–23 May 2026, the 79th World Health Assembly met at Palais des Nations, Geneva, focusing on health equity, resilience, UHC, pandemic preparedness, and reforming health architecture.

• Member States advanced global health system reform for coordination, sovereignty, and reduced donor dependency, linked to the UN80 reform initiative.
• Negotiations on the Pathogen Access & Benefit Sharing (PABS) system under the Pandemic Agreement were deferred to 2027.
• New strategies included the Emergency Care Framework (2026–2035) and the Economics of Health for All (2026–2030).
• Resolutions were adopted on stroke prevention, precision medicine, and radiation & health.
• The AMR Global Action Plan was updated with stronger One Health focus and AI drug discovery.
• Other priorities included UHC, climate‑health integration, disease elimination, and innovations in HIV prevention & obesity treatments.

Question:

Q.1 The 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) was held from 18–23 May 2026 at:
a) New York, USA
b) Geneva, Switzerland
c) Paris, France
d) Vienna, Austria

Answer: b) The 79th World Health Assembly was held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, from 18–23 May 2026.