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The 77th World Health Assembly is around the corner!

Every year, WHO Member States come together to agree on WHO leadership, priorities, budgets and policies. This year's World Health Assembly (WHA) is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland from 27 May through 1 June 2024.

Here is a roundup of five events, initiatives and spaces not to miss at and around the WHA. We look forward to seeing you there!

© WHO / Pierre Albouy

1. Use your voice to advocate for more inclusive, responsive and effective health systems governance.

This WHA, Thailand and Slovenia, with a core group of countries (including Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, Finland, France, Guatemala, Norway, Qatar, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and the United States of America) are pursuing a resolution on Social participation for universal health coverage, health and well-being. This resolution would outline priority actions for national governments to take to advance social participation for health and act as a catalyst for political support at the national level.

Civil society plays a critical role in building political support to ensure its passage. Over the coming weeks, use the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism's (CSEM's) new civil society toolkit to urge Ministers of Health to show collective leadership and support for implementing, strengthening and sustaining meaningful social participation in health-related decisions. Your voice counts!

2. Get moving with Walk the Talk.

Let's kick-start WHA together with the 5th edition of the Walk the Talk in Geneva!

Join us to at Place des Nations to celebrate health for all and promote equitable and resilient health systems. Come find the UHC2030 booth, where we will be sharing resources and raising awareness about UHC, election advocacy and the pursuit of health for all.  

• Date: 26 May 2024
• Time: 9:00 AM CET 
• Location: Place des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
• Register here. 

3. Stop by the civil society networking space.

On the sidelines of the WHA, UHC2030 and the CSEM will provide space for civil society to network and discuss advocacy strategies to drive action on UHC at the country level. Join us from Monday, May 27 to Wednesday, May 29, 2024 to exchange with partners or to organize UHC-related sessions. 

• Dates: 27–29 May 2024
• Time: 8:30 AM – 5 PM CET 
• Location: International Geneva Welcome Centre (CAGI), Route de Ferney 106, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
• Learn more here, including about how to register to organise a UHC-related session.

4. Come learn about the importance of social participation for health.

Join us for a side event titled Moving from principles to action on social participation for UHC, health and well-being, co-hosted by Brazil, France, Norway, Slovenia, Thailand Tunisia and United States of America, in collaboration with the European Health Observatory, the UHC Partnership, UHC2030 and the CSEM. Come hear from Ministers of Health, Member State delegations and civil society representatives on the importance of social participation in accelerating progress towards UHC, health and well-being; and the priority actions needed to advance social participation implementation, particularly at the country level. 

• Date: 28 May 2024
• Time: 6 PM – 8 PM CET 
• Location: To be confirmed; within walking distance from the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland
• Register here.

5. Help launch our advocacy brief on gender-responsive health systems.

UHC2030, the Alliance for Gender Equality and UHC, and the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) — with support from Women in Global Health (WGH) as a co-convener of the Alliance for Gender Equality and UHC — will be launching a new advocacy brief titled Leaving no-one behind: gender-responsive health systems for universal health coverage. The brief aims to provide a powerful resource for decision-makers, civil society organizations, communities and all other stakeholders, to advocate for accelerated progress to achieve gender equality and UHC by 2030. 

Stay tuned here for details!

UHC2030 Secretariat is provided by the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.