Uhuru to address World Health Assembly for the first time

Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta is scheduled to address the World Health Assembly for the first time where he is expected to outline how Kenya has been at the forefront in championing health issues globally.

Speaking a head of President Kenyatta’s official visit to Switzerland, Ambassador Andrew Kihurani said this is important in terms of showing the support that Kenya has for issues which will be discussed with Assembly on the issue of health.

The Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly will commence on 22 May and is expected to end on 28 May at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The theme of this year’s assembly is “Health for Peace, Peace for Health” and will be the first in-person Health Assembly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Health Assembly will stress the importance of building a healthy and peaceful planet by harnessing science, data, technology and innovation.

“The pandemic has undermined progress towards the health-related targets in Sustainable Development Goals and laid bare inequities within and between countries,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“Sustained recovery will require more than ‘getting back on track’ and reinvesting in existing services and systems. We need a new approach, which means shifting priorities and focusing on the highest-impact interventions, ”he added.

The assembly which is held annually will kick off with a high-level segment on 22 May with speeches from the elected Health Assembly President, Heads of State, special guests, an address by the WHO Director-General and the presentation of the Director-General’s Health Awards.

The Director-General’s speech will set out WHO’s five priorities going forward, expanding from the  vision delivered at the Executive Board meeting held in January 2022.

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of World Health Organization (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.

Additional Information by WHO