What’s up in Geneva during WHA72: Technical briefings, official side events and other meetings at the Palais des Nations and in town
As in previous years, we publish on this page an overview of technical and political meetings taking place during the 72nd World Health Assembly at the Palais des Nations and in town, as a service to the members and partners of the Geneva Global Health Hub. All information published in this overview is subject to change. Please enquiry directly at the organizers and send us any updated information, if available.
We will fully launch our overview in early May, when the programme of technical briefings and official side events will be confirmed by the World Health Organization as part of the Preliminary Journal of the World Health Assembly.
Our overview includes:
- Technical Briefings organized by the WHO Secretariat and open to WHA delegates (Not yet available; will be pu blished in the WHA Preliminary Journal)
- Meetings at the Palais des Nations organized by WHO Member States and open to WHA delegates (Source: overview on WHO website, as advanced draft, to be revised when the WHA Preliminary Journal is published)
- WHA side events at the Palais des Nations organized by non-State actors in official relations with WHO (source: overview on WHO website; organizers are welcome to provide details)
- Other meetings taking place in Geneva during the World Health Assembly, organized by various actors.
Please send your event announcement or update or any information about World Health Assembly side events organized by others to info@g2h2.org, with the key content we need to post it: Date, time, place, title, organizer(s), and, if available, a link to a website with the announcement and registration form. Publishing your announcement or update online might take us up to two working days, as the work is done by volunteers.
As a general rule (but with a few exceptions) our list will not include institutional or social events such as annual assemblies or receptions, nor meetings that are labelled “private / by invitation only”.
FRIDAY 17 MAY 2019
09:00-18:00 hrs, Ecumenical Centre
WHO, civil society and “non-State actors”:
How to deal with a difficult relationship?
First day of civil society meeting ahead of WHA142
Organizer: G2H2 working group on WHO governance
Host: World Council of Churches
Preliminary announcement: website
SATURDAY 18 MAY 2019
09:00-10:45 hrs, Maison des Associations
G2H2 Annual General Meeting
Organizer: Geneva Global Health Hub
Contact: info@g2h2.org
11:00-18:00 hrs, Maison des Associations
Civil society perspectives on selected global health topics:
72nd World Health Assembly and beyond
From analysing and sharing to strategizing and cooperating
Second day of civil society meeting ahead of WHA142
Organizer: G2H2 and its members
Preliminary announcement: website
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
SUNDAY 19 MAY 2019
09:45-13:00 hrs, Place des Nations, including pre-activities
Walk the Talk: The Health for All Challenge 2019
“The Walk the Talk: The Health for All Challenge will be a celebration of the importance of health and a recognition of the vital role that the city of Geneva plays as a hub for global health. This free event is open to people of all ages and abilities, and involves three connected routes of three, five and eight kilometres.”
Organizers: WHO and partners
Announcement and registration: Website
13:30-15:30 hrs, venue t.b.c.
Introduction to the World Health Assembly: A Briefing for Delegates
Organizers: NCD Alliance
Source: NCD Alliance: WHA72
Enquiries: NCD Alliance
15:00-18:00 hrs (t.b.c.), Graduate Institute/Maison de la Paix
Introduction to the World Health Assembly: A Briefing for Delegates
Organizers: Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute and UN Foundation
Source: Save the date published on Twitter
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
MONDAY 20 MAY 2019
08:00-10:00 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Putting Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions at the heart of UHC
Organizers: Teva, Philips, Israeli Mission to the UN, and NCD Alliance
Source, contact for requesting an invite: NCD Alliance: WHA72
08:30-10:00 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Innovative Solutions to Support Quality & Safety of Health Products
Organizer: Chemonics International
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
09:15-10:30 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Global Health Security: Data for Epidemics
Organizer:World Economic Forum
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 23
Access to medicines, vaccines and health products: A multi-dimensional approach for ensuring transparency of markets, affordable and quality products to achieve Universal Health Coverage
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Costa-Rica, Cyprus, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Vietnam.
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
Safe and Affordable Surgery
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Fiji, Maldives, Tonga
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 24
Primary Health Care towards Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Spain
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
14:00-16:00 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Digital Natives Fight Fake Medicines
Organizer: UCL School of Pharmacy
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 23
Universal Health Coverage to deliver the Global Strategy on Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents Health: re-thinking quality midwifery education
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Canada, Fiji, India, Malawi, Nepal, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room t.b.c.
A Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020- 2030). Ideas and propositions to reach people and build healthy societies
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organiizers: Chile, Finland
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room t.b.c.
Experiences on addressing NCDs risk factors and determinants
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Belize, Finland, St Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sri Lanka, Uruguay
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-20:00 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Rethinking global health: A prerequisite for achieving UHC
Organizer: NCD Alliance
Source, Registration: Website
18:00-21:00 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Financing Sustainable Community Health for All: The Importance of Women Leaders
Organizers: Center for Global Health and Diplomacy, Communities at the Heart of UHC, Living Goods, Last Mile Health, and the What to Expect Project
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
TUESDAY 21 MAY 2019
07:00-10:30 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Globalization 4.0: Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare
Organizer: World Economic Forum
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
07:30-09:00 hrs, Restaurant Vieux-Bois
Childhood Obesity and the Global Syndemic – A New Narrative for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet
Organizers: World Obesity Federation, UNICEF, NCD Free, NCD Child, and EAT
Source: NCD Alliance: WHA72
Registration: Website
12:00-14:00 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Precision Medicine: A Roadmap to Readiness
Organizer: World Economic Forum
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
12:00-14:00 hrs, Press Club
Every Breath Can Do Damage: The Urgency of Air Pollution Action
Organizers: Vital Strategies and NCD Alliance
Source: NCD Alliance: WHA72
12:00-14:30 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Beyond the headlines: What will it take to address the growing cancer burden?
Organizer: Roche
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 24
Patient Safety and Quality of care in the face of emergencies and extreme adversity – A prerequisite to achieve Universal Health Coverage
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Moldova, Qatar, Rwanda, Somalia, Sri Lanka,Sudan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 23
Promoting Vaccine Confidence: Enhancing Global Immunization Efforts to Protect the Health of All GenerationsOfficial Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Brazil, Canada, Romania, Ukraine, United States of America, European Union
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
12:30-14:00 hrs, International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Vaccination in an ageing world: Listening to older people
Organizer: International Longevity Centre
Announcement and registration: Website
15:30-17:30 hrs, International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Prevention in an ageing world
Launch reception
Organizer: International Longevity Centre
Announcement and registration: Website
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
Universal Health Coverage and Migration: leaving no one behind
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Colombia, Ecuador, Luxembourg, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Sudan
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 24
Partnerships for Health Systems Strengthening – Prepared for Emergencies
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Afghanistan, Switzerland
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 23
Nutrition4Health: Nutrition Innovations along with NCDs Prevention for Achieving Universal Health Coverage within the Context of the 2030 Agenda and the UN Nutrition Decade
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Albania, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, India, Italy, Lebanon, Malawi, Montenegro, the Philippine, Tunisia, Uganda
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-18:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Action and accountability on UHC: Building momentum towards the UN High-level meeting
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by The Save the Children Fund, supported by Action contre la Faim International and Global Health Council
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
19:00-19:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Palliative Care and Universal Health Coverage: a component of Primary Health Care
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care Inc., supported by Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance, Médecins Sans Frontières International, Union of International Cancer Control, International Council of Nurses (tbc), World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (tbc), International Association for the Study of Pain (tbc)
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
WEDNESDAY 22 MAY 2019
08:00-10:00 hrs, Geneva Press Club
How Communities Can Deliver UHC for Women and Adolescents
Organizers: Communities At The Heart of UHC, Pathfinder International, and the What To Expect Project
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
08:30-09:30 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Harnessing Global Momentum in Mental Health: Public-Private Collaboration
Organizer: World Economic Forum
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
08:30-10:00 hrs, Musée Ariana
Building Country Capacity for Global Health Security
Organizer: Chemonics International
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
08:30-17:00 hrs, Campus Biotech
International Vaccination & Capacity Workshop 2019
Organizer: World Federation of Public Health Associations
Announcement and registration: Website
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
UHC: Good Governance, multi-sectoral actions for UHC – Partnership and Paradoxes
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: France, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Lao PDR, Luxembourg, Thailand
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 24
Epilepsy: A Public Health Priority
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Croatia, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Zambia
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
Malaria: stepping up the fight to reach public health objectives for 2030
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Benin, Djibouti, France, Gabon, India, Latvia, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 8
First do no harm’: why water, sanitation and hygiene must be a priority for quality healthcare, protecting patient safety and tackling AMR
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Eswatini, Germany, Japan, Sweden,Tanzania, Zambia
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-18:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Achieving women’s and girls’ health and human rights: Putting gender equality at the center of Universal Health Coverage
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by International Women’s Health Coalition Inc., supported by Women Deliver, Inc., and the International Planned Parenthood Federation
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
19:00-19:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Health Promotion through the life course: A call to action to leave no one behind
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by International Federation on Ageing, supported by IOGT International
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
THURSDAY 23 MAY 2019
07:30-09:00 hrs, Hotel Intercontinental
Primary Health Care for All, Starting with Better Measurement
Organizer: Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI)
Source, Registration: GHC events calendar
12:00-14:00 hrs, ICRC Museum
Universal Health Coverage: Including Rare Diseases to leave no one behind
Organizer:Rare Diseases International
Source, Registration: Website
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
Effective implementation of home-based records to improve maternal, newborn and child health towards achievement of UHC: leaving no one behind
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Kenya, Lao PDR, Netherlands, the Philippines
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 8
How transformational digital technologies can contribute to leave no one behind in UHC: the case of rare diseases
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Kuwait, Romania, European Union
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 12
Emergency Care Systems for UHC: Ensuring timely care for the acutely ill and injured
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Ethiopia, Eswatini, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
Air pollution, Climate change, Oceans and Health
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Chile, Fiji, Maldives, Norway
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-18:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Leaving no one behind? Tracking “health for all” from rhetoric to reality
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by Union for International Cancer Control, supported by Childhood Cancer International, International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union), Medicines Patent Pool, RAD-AID International, World Cancer Research Fund International, World Obesity Federation, World Stroke Organization, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care
Inc., Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
18:00-21:30 hrs, Intercontinental Hotel
Invest in health workers
Side event and reception
Organizer: Global Health Workforce Network
Save the date received by e-mail
19:00-19:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Boosting community-led responses to reaching the most marginalized communities: from local communities, to primary health care to UHC
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by Stichting Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), supported by Medicus Mundi International
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
FRIDAY 24 MAY 2019
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
Towards the Sixth Replenishment, scaling up the fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizer: Zimbabwe
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
12:30-14:00 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
Let’s get real: Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Well Being
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizer: Mozambique, Portugal, Slovenia, Uruguay
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 7
Disease Prevention: the role of Primary Healthcare in achieving Sustainable, Universal Health Coverage
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Bahrain, Turkey
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-19:30 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room 8
Development of Primary Health Care (PHC) with contribution of the Biotechnology industry for Cuba and other countries. South-South Cooperation
Official Member States side event to WHA72
Organizers: Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua
Source: WHO draft overview of MS events (PDF)
18:00-18:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
WHO-Civil Society Collaboration to Drive Progress on Climate Change and Health
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by Alliance for Health Promotion
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
19:00-19:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Cross-Sectoral Collaboration and Leadership in the Energy-Health Nexus
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by United Nations Foundation
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
SATURDAY 25 MAY 2019
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
MONDAY 27 MAY 2019
18:00-18:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Building Resilience and Strengthening Global Health Security in Crisis-Affected Settings through Investing in Community Health Workers
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by International Rescue Committee, supported by Amref Health Africa
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
19:00-19:50 hrs, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Nuclear Weapons Today: An Update of the Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear War and the Medical Role in Preventing it
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Supported by the World Medical Association and the World Federation of Public
Health Associations
Source: WHO Overview of NSA side events (PDF)
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
TUESDAY 28 MAY 2019
Send your announcement or update to info@g2h2.org.
The World Health Assembly will end on Tuesday 28 May 2019
Events taking place after this date will be posted in our regular events calendar
