WHA78 Civil Society Networking Space

Programme

Monday, May 19th

Amplifying Youth Voices: Shaping Policies for Digital Health,Data Governance and Human Rights

Hosted by Transform Health, Stop AIDS (Digital Health and Rights Project) 

Amid widening inequalities and reduced global health funding, the event offers a platform for youth, communities, and civil society to share priorities, build partnerships, and advocate for inclusive, rights-based digital health and data governance. This side event will elevate youth voices in digital health by consulting youth and youth-led organisations to shape Transform Health’s Youth Call to Action for Digital Health. It will also share findings from the Digital Health and Rights Project’s multi-country study on barriers young people face in realising digital rights.

Format: In-person

Operating for Equity: Strengthening Surgical Systems to Achieve UHC

Hosted by International Student Surgical Network – InciSioN

Surgical healthcare has long been overlooked in the global health agenda, but it is now gaining recognition as essential to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030. Despite ongoing health system reforms, access to safe, timely, and affordable surgery remains unequal, causing preventable deaths and financial hardship. At WHA77, countries called for a new global strategy on integrated emergency, critical, and operative (ECO) care services for 2026–2035, reinforcing surgical care as a core component of UHC. Join us to explore the future of surgical healthcare, discuss bridging access gaps across income settings, and examine the investments, policy reforms, and global collaboration needed to strengthen surgical systems worldwide.

Format: In-person

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

Hosted by the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO) and the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism for UHC2030 (CSEM)

On the first day of the WHA78, IAPO will hold its habitual side event aimed at elevating 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 side event will explore the collaborative role of the global patient organisation community in advancing social participation for universal health coverage, with the 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.

Format: In-person + online

+ Register for online attendance here. 

Health Without Borders – Integrated Primary Healthcare for All

Hosted by IDA, Sightsavers, ASTMH, GHC, PATH, IDDC, YHO and Amref Health Africa

This session will emphasize the importance of integrated primary healthcare (IPHC) in tackling key global health challenges such as HIV, TB, diabetes, and hypertension. The discussion will highlight policy integration, improved diagnosis and care frameworks, cross-sector collaboration, and equitable access for marginalised populations, to strengthen universal health coverage (UHC).

Tuesday, May 20th

Driving Strategic Changes in Health Financing Through the Lusaka Agenda

Hosted by UHC2030, CSEM for UHC2030, the United Nations Foundation, WACI Health

This session on the margins of the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA) is an important opportunity to bring together stakeholders – including champion countries, global health initiatives, civil society, global and regional health organizations and donors – to take stock of the seismic changes to global health financing that have occurred over the past months, and strengthen collaboration and alignment for effective implementation of the Lusaka Agenda and its vision of domestically-financed health systems and UHC that leaves no-one behind.

Format: In-person + online

+ Register for online attendance here. 

Strategies for Sustaining and Accelerating Progress towards Universal Health Coverage through Health Financing – Country Experiences from the Joint Learning Network

Hosted by the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage

This session aims to explore effective strategies for mobilizing domestic resources to sustain and accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In the context of declining external health financing, the discussion will focus on innovative financing mechanisms, policy reforms, and best practices that enhance country ownership and financial sustainability. The session will also highlight successful experiences from low- and middle-income countries of the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage (JLN), a 40 member country network that is fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration to strengthen health systems and ensure equitable access to essential services.

Format: In-person

Time to step up: Gender equity and human rights in Universal Health Coverage

Hosted by Women in Global Health Switzerland

How can we safeguard gender and equity in Universal Health Coverage (UHC)? And how can civil society, governments, and partners work more effectively together to push for gender equity in health?
This event—building on the 2023 Political Declaration on UHC and the Health for All: Time for Gender Action on UHC discussion—will bring together different actors to share strategies, lessons learned, and pathways for collaboration in advancing gender-responsive UHC.

Format: In-person

Strengthening NCD prevention and care through UHC: a path to equitable and sustainable health systems

Hosted by the NCD Alliance, the Eastern Mediterranean NCD Alliance, UHC2030 and CSEM for UHC2030

The event will highlight the importance of integrating NCD prevention and care into UHC as a strategic approach to achieving health equity, investment return, economic sustainability, and gender equality, addressing health system resilience and disparities.

This high-level event hosted by the NCD Alliance EMR (EM-NCDA) and the Global NCD Alliance (NCDA) in collaboration with UHC2030 and the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM for UHC2030) will bring together policy makers, NCD advocates, UHC health experts, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders to drive collective action.

Format: In-person + online

+ Register for online attendance here.

Integrating rehabilitation into NCD care: a critical step towards UHC

Hosted by Humanity & Inclusion and the World Rehabilitation Alliance

Integrating rehabilitation into noncommunicable disease (NCD) care is essential for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) — but it’s often overlooked. Leaving out rehabilitation excludes millions of people from full participation in society and the economy.
This side event will highlight how integrating rehabilitation into NCD care advances UHC by promoting equity, access, and affordability, while fostering collaboration to drive joint action through policy, financing, and advocacy.

Format: In-person + online

+ Click here to attend online.

Wednesday, May 21st

Funding Health, Shaping Futures: A Dialogue for UHC between Youth & Parliamentarians

Hosted by UHC2030, CSEM for UHC2030, IFMSA, UNITE

This interactive session will provide an opportunity to address key challenges in coordinating efforts between parliamentarians, youth, and civil society to accelerate progress on UHC, with a particular emphasis on health financing. Panelists and participants will discuss how to promote equitable financing solutions, share ideas on strengthening financial protection, and explore ways to ensure sustainable funding for UHC. The goal is to foster collaboration, trust, and accountability, especially in light of upcoming opportunities to advance financial protection and secure long-term financing for UHC.

Format: In-person + online

+ Register for online attendance here. 

Securing the Future of Global Health – United Front for Sustainable Financing

Hosted by IDA, Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, PATH, Amref Health Africa and the World Health Summit

With shifting donor priorities and growing funding uncertainties, essential health programs—including those tackling infectious diseases, NCDs, maternal and child health, and health system strengthening—face increasing challenges. Now more than ever, sustainable financing mechanisms are needed to ensure long-term investments in global health, including those that spur the development of new tools and strengthen the research ecosystem, saving lives, and bringing wider economic benefits.

Advancing Inclusive Health Governance: Implementing the WHA77 Resolution on Social Participation for UHC, Health, and Well-being

Hosted by UHC2030, CSEM for UHC2030, The George Institute for Global Health, Global Health Council, IAPO, Amref Health Africa, Save the Children, NCD Alliance, Global Mental Health Action Network (United for Global Mental Health)

This multi-stakeholder dialogue will provide a platform to explore opportunities for addressing the challenges of implementing WHA77 resolution on social participation for UHC, Health and Well-being to to accelerate progress toward UHC. The event will focus on discussing strategies, particularly at the national and regional levels, for effectively integrating social participation in health decision-making processes, with the aim to foster a meaningful whole-of-society approach that strengthens and promotes more equitable health systems.

Format: In-person

From Vertical Nutrition Programs to Integrated Health Systems: Preventing Wasting Through UHC

Hosted by World vision and Action against Hunger France​

This event will explore how nutrition can be fully institutionalized within primary health care, maternal, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), child health services, and community health delivery—not as an add-on, but as a standard, essential element of people-centered care. Such high-impact investments in preventing child wasting will help donors and governments shape their strategies and address systemic barriers.

The event will draw on recent evidence, experience, and Global Action Plan to End Child Wasting (GAP) country plans to show how investing in Community healthcare worker training and inclusion of nutrition within essential health packages is crucial to achieving Universal Health Coverage and reducing preventable child deaths due to wasting.

Format: In-person

Consultative Dialogue on the Digital Transformation of Community Health for UHC

Hosted by Transform Health, Living Goods, Terre des hommes, Medic and D-Tree

Transform Health, Living Goods, Terre des hommes, Medic and D-Tree are organising a session that will bring together different stakeholders to think through refined strategies for digitally enabling community health for UHC, provide an opportunity for participants to exchange insights, highlight challenges, and collaborate on the future direction of the work in this space.

Format: In-person

By invitation only.

Networking event: Accelerating UHC in the Digital Age

Hosted by UHC2030, Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM), Transform Health, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Digital Transformation for Health Lab (DHT Lab).

This informal gathering will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders committed to advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through digital innovation. It will offer a unique opportunity to connect with global health professionals, civil society advocates, policy-makers, and digital health champions. Whether you’re engaged in health systems, digital governance, or civil society engagement, we look forward to seeing you there and strengthening partnerships that support equitable, digital-enabled health systems for all.

Format: In-person

Thursday, May 22nd

Advancing UHC through Self-Care: A Transformative Approach for People and Health Systems

Hosted by Self- Care TrailBlazer Group (SCTG)

The unprecedented disruptions to foreign aid have significantly impacted the global health sector, undermining decades of progress and pushing fragile health systems further into crisis. The scale and speed of these transformations demand urgent attention and creative solutions. Evidence-based self-care approaches, particularly for sexual and reproductive health and rights, are more critical than ever. As we witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, self-care helps reduce pressure on strained health systems, making them more resilient. While it is not a substitute for a government’s responsibility to provide quality health services, self-care can reduce the burden on health workers, facilities, and budgets — ensuring that resources are available to manage conditions that require the support of providers.This dynamic, interactive session will address why self-care should be at the heart of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda. It aims to raise awareness and mobilize Member States to explicitly and directly acknowledge and champion the vital role of self-care — ultimately mainstreaming this innovative approach within UHC actions at the global and national levels.

Format: In-person + Online

Voices for Change: Youth Leadership in Advocacy and Innovation

Hosted by Rare Diseases International

The RDI Youth Leadership Space is a dedicated event within the Universal Health Coverage dialogue, hosted by Rare Diseases International, that empowers young adults living with rare diseases to lead conversations about their lived experiences and expertise. Through three moderated roundtables—on mental health and stigma; advocacy and leadership; and innovation and digital health—youth representatives from 12 countries will share insights, foster cross-regional dialogue, and cultivate intergenerational connections. This inclusive platform aims to strengthen global youth networks, ignite new advocacy initiatives, and foster deeper reflection on how UHC can leave no one behind.

Format: In-person + online 

+ find the link to register online here

Advancing Universal Health Coverage in a Changing World: The Case for Gender-Responsive Health Systems

Hosted by Women in Global Health, UHC2030, CSEM for UHC2030 and PMNCH

In an increasingly fragmented world facing conflict, economic instability, climate shocks, and deepening inequalities, achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 requires urgent, coordinated action. Women in Global Health (WGH), together with UHC2030 and partners is hosting this discussion on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly to make health systems gender-responsive as a cornerstone for resilient, equitable care.
Although global commitments have been made, including in the 2023 UN Political Declaration on UHC, implementation gaps persist. Health systems remain largely gender-blind. Solidarity must now move from rhetoric to reform.
This WHA side event will showcase diverse voices and practical solutions to accelerate progress, highlight how gender-responsive health systems promote equity, and underscore solidarity as the driving force of UHC transformation.

Format: In-person

Delivering on UHC in an era of pushback against gender equality and human right to health

Organised by: Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI) and CNS

Co-hosted by: IPPF, ICASA 2025, SAA, WGNRR, TLC Kenya

This Side Event will reinforce that the right to health and right to gender equality are fundamental human rights and intertwined. We cannot dislocate the right to health (including UHC) from other human rights. When we realise UHC and broader right to health, we enable many other human rights including gender equality.

This Side Event will also include SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity & Rights) Media Awards Ceremony 2024-2025.

Format: In-person + online

+ Register for online attendance here. 

Increasing youth engagement and involvement in local, national and international AMR action

Hosted by the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA),  WMA JDN and IPSF

This side event at the World Health Assembly 78 aims to engage different antimicrobial resistance (AMR) stakeholders and highlight the pivotal role young people is playing in shaping global AMR responses. Organized by the members of the Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR (comprising FAO, WOAH, WHO, and UNEP), the event will spotlight the Group’s achievements and officially launch a policy brief and call-to-action derived from the AMR Youth Manifesto from the past UN High-Level Meeting. It will serve as a platform to amplify youth voices, encourage collaboration among stakeholders, and promote the broad uptake of youth-driven AMR interventions. By fostering dialogue and awareness, the event is expected to strengthen international recognition of the Working Group and inform future programmatic efforts.

Format: In-person + online