What can we expect from the 79th World Health Assembly?

What can we expect from the 79th World Health Assembly?

From This Week in Global Development by Devex | Global Development

May 14, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 145

About this episode

The episode previews key discussions at the 79th World Health Assembly, focusing on WHO's financial challenges and their implications for global health initiatives.

This week, we look ahead to the key talking points at the 79th World Health Assembly, where the Devex team will be reporting from next week. As the World Health Organization continues to operate on a deficit, and with the U.S. withdrawal from the agency, we dig into what the future holds for WHO and how this shifting financial landscape will reshape the global health architecture. With WHO facing funding constraints, we explore how this financial shortfall could impact the agency’s response to the new hantavirus outbreak and its ongoing fight against HIV. During the episode, we also highlight the sessions we are most looking forward to at Devex Impact House, happening on the sidelines of WHA. Secure your spot by registering here: https://pages.devex.com/devex-at-wha-79.html To offer a preview of the 79th WHA, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with reporters Jenny Lei Ravelo and Andrew Green for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. You can now also request an in-person invite or register for on-demand content for our upcoming Devex Impact House @ London Climate Action Week here: https://pages.devex.com/devex-at-london-climate-action-week.html

People in this episode

Host: Rumbi Chakamba

Guests: Jenny Lei Ravelo, Andrew Green

Topics covered

  • World Health Assembly
  • global health
  • WHO funding
  • hantavirus outbreak
  • HIV response
  • Devex Impact House

Keywords

  • World Health Organization
  • 79th World Health Assembly
  • global health architecture
  • funding constraints
  • hantavirus
  • HIV
  • Devex Impact House

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: World Health Organization

Products: hantavirus, HIV

Places: United States

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