WHO Watch: WHA79 Report
The 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) took place in Geneva from 18–27 May 2026, bringing together Member States, civil society organisations, United Nations agencies, researchers, and advocates to deliberate on key priorities in global health governance. As part of the People's Health Movement (PHM) Democratising Global Health Governance Programme, a team of sixteen PHM members participated in the annual WHO Watch, combining political analysis, advocacy, movement building, and capacity strengthening throughout the Assembly.
WHO Watch is a longstanding initiative of PHM that emerged from the Workshop on Democratising Global Health Governance held in Geneva in 2010. The programme was established to bridge the gap between global health policy processes and grassroots struggles for the Right to Health. By training activists, strengthening analytical capacity, building alliances across social movements, and producing accessible policy analysis, WHO Watch seeks to democratise global health governance and amplify the voices of civil society within WHO decision-making processes.
Each year, Watchers analyse agenda items before and during the Assembly, produce policy briefs and statements, engage with Member State delegations and allied organisations, and communicate developments through social media and public reporting. The initiative also supports smaller country delegations by providing independent analyses of agenda items while advocating for a stronger, more democratic and adequately financed World Health Organization. At its core, WHO Watch is both a political education programme and movement building exercise, equipping activists to intervene in global health governance processes at national, regional and international levels and to forge political alliances across the regions where PHM is active.