Member states at the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly have adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions covering a wide range of global health priorities, including tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, stroke, liver disease, emergency care, diagnostic imaging and precision medicine.

The meeting, held in Geneva, also approved reforms aimed at strengthening global health governance through a member state-led process hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Closing the assembly, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to translate policy commitments into tangible improvements in people’s lives.

He said the success of the resolutions would ultimately be measured by outcomes such as better-equipped health workers, higher vaccination rates, safer childbirth and the rapid containment of disease outbreaks.

A key outcome of the assembly was the approval of amendments to the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, the first update to the framework since its adoption in 2010.

The revised code expands its scope to include internationally recruited care workers and provides clearer guidance on ethical recruitment during health emergencies. It also encourages destination countries to invest in the health systems and workforce development of source countries to ensure mutual benefits from international recruitment.

–ChannelAfrica/WHO–