From high-level dialogues in Davos to global convenings in Geneva, the lead-up to the 78th World Health Assembly has marked a period of rapid change and rising urgency for global health collaboration. Funding constraints, rising geopolitical tensions, and a retreat from previous commitments have strained international cooperation, leaving many global health systems increasingly vulnerable. As the community gathers once again, attention will turn to the critical link between health security and the economic and social stability of countries worldwide.

The seven lessons[1] below offer timely, practical insights that speak directly to the priorities shaping WHA78. They are grounded in conversations from a curated series of high-level panels hosted by Dalberg, Northwell and the Health Finance Institute at Davos 2025 and ongoing conversations with senior leaders, featuring government, private sector, and global health experts. The lessons are organized around the four pillars guiding WHA78: (i) universal health coverage; (ii) health emergency preparedness and response; (iii) better health and well-being; and (iv) WHO governance and reform. They are informed by real-world examples and future ideas where global health leaders can act on now.

Investing in Health is an Economic Imperative

Global health security is a driver of economic growth. Strategic investments in universal healthcare, prevention, and innovation generate jobs, boost productivity, reduce long-term healthcare costs, and support GDP growth. Dr. Ramsammy, former Minister of Health of Guyana and Guyana’s Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), illustrated that health spending rose from around $70 to over $1,200 per capita since the early 2000s. During the same period, Guyana’s GDP grew from ∼$1,000 per capita to ∼$20,000. The strategic investments in health have enhanced workforce productivity as healthier populations tend to have higher labor force participation rates and productivity levels, directly influencing economic output.

Conversely, when our health security is threatened, there are significant economic consequences and implications for GDP. For example, the International Monetary Fund estimates that the global economic loss from the COVID-19 pandemic exceeded $13 trillion. As governments and funders gather at WHA78 to discuss how to sustain universal health coverage and strengthen primary care systems, framing investment in health as a development engine rather than a cost center, global leaders can unlock the political momentum needed to prioritize long-term commitments to better health.

Without Local Community Empowerment, Care Gap Widens

Achieving strong health outcomes for all requires empowering local communities. In Davos, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, former Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, highlighted Detroit’s success in reducing infant mortality by leveraging a community-driven, data-informed approach. By analyzing health disparities at the ZIP-code or local level and actively engaging community organizations, Detroit’s health department coordinated targeted interventions, including prenatal support programs and maternal health initiatives, leading to the city’s lowest recorded infant mortality rate. “If solutions are developed without local input, they will fail,” Khaldun emphasized. The success of Detroit’s model illustrates that meaningful engagement is about local presence and shared power, bringing community voices into decision-making and aligning interventions with lived realities.

Equally important is the availability and use of disaggregated, neighborhood-level data, which uncovers the root causes of disparities and enables more precise intervention design. Yet, access to high-quality data remains limited. From a worldwide perspective, only 51% of countries include disaggregated data in their national health statistics. In Detroit, this kind of granular analysis made it possible to allocate resources where they were most needed, turning data into action. And when high-quality data is combined with on-the-ground insights, it ensures health programs are responsive, relevant, and actually reach the people they’re meant to serve.

Mental Health Must Start with Health Workers

Global attention to mental health has grown, but support for healthcare workers remains insufficient, especially in crisis settings where their needs are most urgent. Mental health is a global issue, but healthcare workers are disproportionately affected due to the demanding and sometimes traumatic nature of their work. At least 25% of healthcare workers experience symptoms of anxiety, burnout, or depression, and this burden is even greater in areas affected by conflict or crisis.

In Ukraine, the mental health toll on healthcare providers is acute, as they endure both the trauma of war and the demands of frontline care. Nataliya Toropova, Founder of the Healthy Initiatives International Think Tank, highlighted a recent effort to train Ukrainian healthcare workers in trauma-informed care, underscoring the need to support healthcare providers. Healthy Initiatives has also organized resilience-building workshops in war-affected areas like Bucha. These targeted, context-specific interventions demonstrate the critical importance of equipping healthcare workers with the tools and support they need to manage the psychological toll of their work.

The panelists also explored the growing role of AI in supporting mental health needs, including AI-driven speech analysis for early detection of depression and telehealth platforms integrating AI-based diagnostics to expand care access. These tools hold significant potential by shifting from reactive to more proactive and preventive care, enabling continuous self-monitoring and early identification of burnout or emotional distress. To be effective, however, they must be designed with the needs and context of users in mind, integrating into daily routines and helping to reduce rather than add to the stress they carry. Strengthening mental health systems begins with protecting the well-being of those who sustain them.

The Next Health Emergency Is Inevitable—Will We Be Prepared?

From the recent Marburg virus cases in Tanzania to rising concerns over avian flu outbreaks in North America, global health threats continue to emerge. Our panelists debated the role of governments, insurers, and healthcare providers in proactively preparing for these crises. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy underscored: “If we only act when there is a crisis, we have already failed.” It’s important for health systems to be prepared for inevitable events. This means investing in real-time disease surveillance, strengthening frontline capacity, and ensuring supply chain resilience, not just in moments of urgency, but as part of an ongoing health security infrastructure.

The need for pre-established health infrastructure and trained personnel is central to effective emergency preparedness. Yet even after COVID-19, global spending on key priorities like pandemic preparedness remains low. In 2021, the development assistance spending for pandemic preparedness was equivalent to $1.8 billion, only 12.2% of the $15 billion target recommended by the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. At a domestic level, the High-Level Panel also recommended that national governments increase their health spending by an additional 1% of their GDP, but only 17 of 137 low- and middle-income countries are expected to meet this target by 2026.

Amid this global underinvestment, Dr. Craig Spencer, Public Health Professor at Brown University, highlighted Rwanda’s healthcare infrastructure as a concrete example of what effective preparedness can look like. Rwanda has focused on enhancing primary healthcare networks and integrating community health workers into emergency response plans. Rwanda has successfully rebuilt its health infrastructure, enabling rapid responses to crises ranging from infectious disease outbreaks to climate-related health challenges.

This is especially timely for WHA78, as Member States prepare to consider the adoption of the newly negotiated Pandemic Agreement, a landmark effort to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response to future global health threats. The accord emphasizes the need for resilient national health systems, coordinated early-warning mechanisms, equitable access to health tools, and sustained investment in core health infrastructure. Embedding these principles into domestic health strategies will be critical for translating global commitments into real-world resilience.

Climate Change Will Challenge the Resilience of our Health Systems

Climate change is disrupting health service delivery and deepening inequities, especially in vulnerable and remote communities. Extreme weather events, such as floods, wildfires, and heatwaves, can sever access to care when it’s needed most. At the same time, rising temperatures are expanding the range of vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue, underscoring the need to invest in research and development of vaccines and treatments for climate-sensitive health threats. Building systems that are both adaptable and proactive allows countries to respond more effectively to the shifting health landscape driven by climate change.

Resilience also requires looking inward at the health sector’s own contribution to climate change. Globally, healthcare is responsible for an estimated 5% of greenhouse gas emissions, driven by energy use, supply chains, waste, and transportation. To become part of the solution, health systems must decarbonize by adopting clean energy sources, improving energy efficiency in facilities, reducing medical waste, and greening procurement practices. These efforts can reduce emissions and enhance reliability in the face of climate-related disruptions, such as power outages or supply shortages. By aligning sustainability goals with health system reform, we can build greener, more efficient systems that are better equipped to serve communities today—and far more resilient to the challenges of tomorrow.

Technology Isn’t Good or Bad: It’s What You Do With It That Matters

AI-driven diagnostics and digital health tools hold immense potential, but their benefits have yet to be fully realized in low-resource and constrained settings. Ganesh Rasiah, Chief Strategy Officer at HP, emphasized that to truly democratize access to AI-powered healthcare, solutions must be intentionally designed to be both affordable and accessible, in order to reach those most in need, regardless of geography, infrastructure, socioeconomic status, or local context. According to the State of Digital Health Report, most countries (62%) are in early to mid-stages of digital health maturity, with limited investment in this sector beyond early foundations and an emerging capacity. Moreover, today, 2.6 billion people – 33% of the world population – remain offline.

Concrete examples from the event demonstrated the power of technology to overcome access barriers and reach those often left behind. Tisha Boatman, Senior Vice President at Siemens Healthineers, highlighted how the company partnered with Cure AI in the Philippines to deploy AI-assisted TB screening in remote areas, dramatically reducing TB diagnostic times and improving early detection rates. In Ukraine, AI-powered imaging tools are being used to assist radiologists in conflict zones where medical infrastructure is limited. The message is clear: innovation without inclusion can widen, rather than bridge health gaps. To realize the full promise of digital health, solutions must be designed, deployed, and governed to prioritize public benefit and expand access to care, especially for the most vulnerable.

WHO’s Leadership Faces Growing Challenges—What Comes Next?

The World Health Organization (WHO) faces growing pressure to sustain its leadership role and operational effectiveness. Severe funding constraints, coupled with shifting geopolitical dynamics and growing uncertainty about WHO’s role and structure, have raised concerns about its ability to drive international collaboration and uphold international health standards. At Health@Davos, Ani Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation, offered a forward-looking perspective.

Soni noted that while global health leadership has traditionally centered around a few key actors, current shifts are creating space for more nations and institutions to play a more active role. He highlighted regional health alliances, philanthropic organizations, and private sector actors as potential contributors to stronger global health cooperation and a more resilient, decentralized ecosystem.

Still, ongoing ODA cuts and limited follow-through from new actors highlight the fragility of this transition. WHO now faces a $2.5 billion funding gap for 2025–2027 and has proposed cutting its budget by 20%, threatening its ability to respond to global health threats and sustain core programs. As WHA78 prepares to address questions of governance, financing, and institutional reform, these debates offer critical input. Ensuring WHO remains a trusted global coordinator will require greater clarity around its evolving role in a fast-changing global health ecosystem.

Final Reflections

As global health leaders convene in Geneva for the 78th World Health Assembly, we have an opportunity to meet the moment. The lessons of the past few years, from the devastating toll of COVID-19 to ongoing climate-driven health disruptions, have made it clear: we need to better prepare for the uncertainty ahead. Health systems remain overstretched, global cooperation is under strain, and gaps in access to care continue to widen. This year’s WHA themes, universal health coverage, health emergency preparedness and response, better health and well-being, and WHO governance and reform, offer a critical framework for the path forward.

The seven lessons offer both urgency and opportunity. Universal health coverage requires framing health as a development and economic engine, ensuring equitable access to care, and investing in primary systems that are locally driven and responsive to community needs. Health security demands proactive, sustained investments in disease surveillance, resilient infrastructure, and trained, adaptive frontline workforce. The well-being agenda is inclusive of physical health while acknowledging the growing burden of mental health, the impact of conflict and displacement, and the need to care for the health workforce itself. And as new technologies emerge, global actors must ensure that innovation drives progress, reduces burdens on our existing systems, and also drives equity rather than deepening disparities. Above all, WHA78 is a reminder that health is not a siloed sector; it is foundational to national security, social cohesion, and economic stability.

[1] This piece draws on insights from Health@Davos on January 22, 2025. We thank the panelists for their contributions.

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