Strengthening IPU’s commitment to parliamentary leadership in global health
Against a backdrop of growing challenges to multilateral health cooperation, the IPU has significantly upgraded its commitment to health policy and parliamentary engagement, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO).
For years, the IPU has brought parliamentarians to the WHO’s annual World Health Assembly (WHA), but 2025 marks a turning point. The inauguration of the Global Parliamentary Dialogue provides lawmakers with a dedicated, annual platform to engage directly at the WHA.
This standing event signals a new era of structured, sustained parliamentary involvement in global health, with Member States now encouraged to include parliamentarians in their national delegations to ensure legislative voices are heard at the highest levels of health governance.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the initiative, saying, “It will serve as a bridge—connecting parliamentarians with WHO, Member States, youth, and civil society… It reflects the growing recognition that global health is not only a technical domain, but profoundly political.”
IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong emphasized the need for ongoing engagement: “Our parliamentary dialogue at the World Health Assembly is not a once-a-year checkpoint. It must serve as a blueprint for continuous engagement. We need to create stronger, more structured bridges between health stakeholders and parliamentarians throughout the year, so that policy-making is informed, inclusive, and grounded in the lived realities of the people it is meant to serve.”
As part of this renewed emphasis on health, the IPU recently solidified its commitment at its 150th IPU Assembly in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in April 2025, with the announcement of the new IPU Committee on Health. This upgrade builds on the legacy of the former IPU Advisory Group on Health (2006–2025), which played a pivotal role in helping parliaments contribute to the implementation of international commitments on HIV/AIDS, fostering dialogue on women’s, children’s health and promoting universal health coverage.
This year’s WHA took place at a critical juncture, with the historic adoption of the Pandemic Agreement. Leaders have stressed that the success of this agreement will hinge on parliamentary action—ratification, national legislation, and rigorous oversight to ensure that commitments are honored and that misinformation is countered.
The IPU’s commitment to health extends beyond these milestones, with new initiatives such as the ‘IPU on Air’ podcast series, which, among other subjects, also explores a range of health themes.
© HANI ALSHAER / ANADOLU / Anadolu via AFP
