Next week, leaders from around the world will participate at the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

The assembly will be held from May 27 to June 1, 2024, under the theme 'Health Assembly is: All for Health, Health for All'.

The Director General of the World Health Organisation said this year could be one of the most significant in its 76-year history, as two years of government-led negotiations to strengthen the global pandemic and response apparatus are high on the agenda. 

Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus says member states have, in principle, agreed to a package of amendments to strengthen the International Health Regulations. 

"These amendments set out to improve how countries prepare for, detect, and respond to Public Health Emergencies of International Concern, and will be part of a package put forward at the Assembly. This process has been running in parallel with negotiations around a complementary international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The International Health Regulations focus on raising countries' capacities to detect and respond to public health events that are international risks. The pandemic agreement focuses on strengthening coordination for an international response to pandemics, with equitable access to personal protective equipment, vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics at the core." 

Also, at the Assembly, the World Health Organisation will be launching a new global health strategy developed in partnership with 194 member states and partners.

The strategy sets a course for getting the world back on track to hit the health-related Sustainable Development Goals.