IAPO at the 78th World Health Assembly

IAPO at the 78th World Health Assembly

Friday, 25 April 2025

IAPO is involved in four side events at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) taking place in Geneva in May. On the first day of WHA78, IAPO will hold its habitual hybrid side event to elevate the voice of the global patient organisation community in the discussions shaping the global health landscape. Co-hosted with the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism for UHC2030 (CSEM), our event will explore the collaborative role of the global patient organisation community in advancing social participation for universal health coverage, with our recently launched UHC Compass as an accelerator on the ground. We will discuss why collaboration, synergy and solidarity are prerequisites for meaningful change, leaving no one behind in a period of global uncertainty and turbulence.

 

1. The collaborative role of the global patient organisation community in advancing social participation for universal health coverage

Monday, 19 May | 13:00-14:30 CEST
WHA78 Civil Society Networking Space – 9-11 Rue de Varembé, Geneva
Online via Zoom
 

Programme speakers include:

  • Nanoot Mathurapote, Head, Global Collaboration Unit, National Health Commission Office, Thailand
  • Gabriele Pastorino, Health Systems Adviser, Special Programme on Primary Health Care, World Health Organization HQ
  • Dr Pamela Cipriano, Co-chair, UHC2030
  • Ravi Ram, Medwise Solutions, Co-chair of the WHO Civil Society Commission
  • John Coughlan, International Cerebral Palsy Society, Steering Committee member of the WHO Civil Society Commission
  • Amanda Bok, Chief Partnerships Officer, The Synergist
  • Jennifer Austin, CEO, GlobalSkin
  • Alexandra Heumber Perry, CEO, Rare Diseases International
  • Prof Lara Bloom, Board Vice-chair, International Alliance of Patients' Organizations (IAPO); President & CEO, The Ehlers-Danlos Society
  • Dani Mothci, CEO, International Alliance of Patients' Organizations (IAPO)

 

>>> Register here for in-person attendance

Please note that the capacity of the room is limited to around 70 people, and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis upon arrival at the event. We recommend arriving on time to ensure you have a spot.

 

>>> Register here for online attendance

 

2. Advancing Inclusive Health Governance: Implementing the WHA77 resolution on social participation for UHC, health, and well-being

IAPO is also joining CSEM, UHC2030, The George Institute for Global Health, Global Health Council, Amref, Save the Children, NCD Alliance and Global Mental Health Action Network (United for Global Mental Health) in a side event providing a platform for civil society to reflect on progress and explore opportunities to strengthen the implementation of the WHA77 resolution on social participation, particularly at national and regional levels.

Wednesday, 21 May | 12:30-14:00 CEST
WHA78 Civil Society Networking Space – 9-11 Rue de Varembé, Geneva

 

>>> Register here

Please note that the capacity of the room is limited to around 70 people, and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis upon arrival at the event. We recommend arriving on time to ensure you have a spot.

 

The WHA78 Civil Society Networking Space

This platform provided by UHC2030 and CSEM will be open from Monday, 19 May, to Thursday, 22 May, for everyone to drop by, connect with colleagues and friends, and attend UHC-related events. The IAPO delegation will actively participate — hosting side events, joining discussions, and building partnerships with the diverse organisations gathering in this space. Join us to network and develop global, regional, and national advocacy strategies for universal health coverage!

 

3. A Seat at the Table: Highlighting people-centred care through storytelling and art

In partnership with the Harvard Medical School and Gilead Sciences, our third side event will be a unique art installation featuring table settings made by diverse healthcare stakeholders around the world, symbolising the importance of including voices with lived experience in health decision-making. This creative visual metaphor will emphasise how people-centred care serves as a fundamental strategy to revitalise and strengthen health systems and primary healthcare delivery.

Wednesday, 21 May | 18:30-20:30 CEST
International Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum – Av. de la Paix, 17, Geneva
 

>>> Register here

 

 

4. Official Side Event at UN Palais des Nations

Addressing the Global Crisis of Substandard and Falsified Medicines – A Panel Discussion Enhancing the Work of WHO Member States Mechanism through Regional Engagement, Stakeholder Collaboration and Operation Agility 

Along with with United States Pharmacopeia (USP), International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF), and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), IAPO will co-host an official side event to address the global crisis of substandard and falsified medicines undermining patient safety, by introducing fresh perspectives aligned with the recent evaluation of the WHO Member State Mechanism. The event will highlight new opportunities for strengthening the mechanism through regional and stakeholder engagement and operational innovations in response systems. Registrations for attendance will open soon – as this is an official side event taking place inside the UN Palais des Nations, attendance is limited to participants with official Palais des Nations badges.

Thursday, 22 May | 12:30-13:50 CEST

Room XXV, UN Palais des Nations – 8, Av. de la Paix 14, Geneva

Open to WHA participants with UN Palais des Nations badges

 

Other side events by our partner patient organisations

IAPO member GlobalSkin will co-host the side event "Skin Diseases as a Global Health Priority" on 20 May from 6:00 to 8:00 pm CET at Hotel President Wilson. The event aims to raise awareness about the Skin Diseases Resolution recommended by the WHO Executive Board for adoption at the WHA78, and garner support from Member States to co-sponsor this important cause.

You can support the call to action to get the resolution approved by using the resources developed by the World Skin Health Coalition, such as a template letter for Ministers of Health and social media assets. As a member of the coalition, we call on our network to join the campaign. Registrations for the side event are open here.

Rare Diseases International will be co-hosting a WHA78 side event on 21 May from 6:00 to 9:00 pm CET at La Pastorale. Titled "Milestones & Momentum in Rare Diseases: 10 Years of Progress, 10 Years of Possibility", the hybrid event will focus on celebrating the significant achievements of the rare disease community over the past decade and charting the next era of advocacy, policy, research and care.

The event will discuss the resolution on rare diseases and the work of the Coalition in Support of the Resolution on Rare Diseases, of which IAPO is a member. We invite our network to learn more about the Coalition's Call to Action to urge Member States to adopt the resolution at WHA78, and to register to attend the side event in person or online

Photo: Pierre Albouy/WHO