The World Health Organization (WHO) has reflected on the significant achievements and challenges in global health in 2025. The year saw the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement, a landmark step towards making the world safer from future pandemics. This agreement, alongside amendments to the International Health Regulations, demonstrates the importance of international cooperation in protecting and promoting health worldwide.
In 2025, the WHO made notable progress in public health, including the validation of vaccine safety and effectiveness, and the issuance of guidance on innovations such as injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention and GLP-1 therapies for obesity. The organization also responded to humanitarian crises in various countries, including Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, and supported countries in achieving universal health coverage.
The WHO has emphasized the importance of science, evidence, and trust in advancing public health. The organization has committed to sustaining its efforts to strengthen vaccine safety, effectiveness, and use, recognizing that immunization is one of the most powerful public-health interventions in history. Global measles deaths have fallen by 88% since 2000, and malaria vaccines are now being rolled out in 24 African countries.
The WHO has also validated major achievements in disease elimination, with several countries achieving significant milestones, including the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. The organization has also made progress in addressing obesity, a growing global health challenge, by issuing its first guideline on the use of GLP-1 therapies for obesity.
As the world moves into 2026, the WHO is prioritizing collective health to ensure universal health coverage and a healthier world for everyone. The organization is working to integrate digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and genomics, into health systems and translate them into scalable solutions. Despite progress, ongoing inequalities and funding cuts persist, putting the world’s most vulnerable at continued risk. The WHO is committed to continuing its work to alleviate the suffering of people in crisis and to promote the right to health for all.
