The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.
The 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78), taking place from 19–27 May 2025 in Geneva, comes at a critical time for advancing global nutrition. It follows on the heels of the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris, which emphasized the need for stronger nutrition integration across health and food systems. WHA78 is one of the platforms where those commitments can translate into concrete action.
Two important resolutions are presented for adoption at the WHA:
These are vital to sustaining momentum and addressing persistent challenges: as of 2022, 149 million children under five were stunted, 45 million wasted, and one in three women globally was overweight, obese, or anemic.
To support your engagement and ensure strong, coordinated messaging across SUN Countries at WHA78, we organized an information webinar co-hosted by the SUN Movement, the Government of Ireland, and UNICEF.
The webinar, with simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Spanish, featured updates from WHO, Ireland, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Brazil, and UNICEF on the WHA78 agenda, opportunities for action, and how you can help drive support for the resolutions.
Watch the recording of this pre-WHA78 information webinar here
Toolkits/ tools
In anticipation of WHA78, the SUN Movement has prepared a messaging grid for member countries and partners, focusing on clear communication about the connection between health and nutrition. It emphasizes how, despite progress in some areas, the world remains off track to meet the global nutrition targets set by the World Health Assembly.
As SUN countries and partners work to tackle these challenges, this document aims to pave way for aligned and effective communication, as well as united efforts for action beyond WHA78.
