2025 Calendar of Side-Events at the 78th World Health Assembly

The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) is maintaining this WHA78 events calendar to support the global health community during the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA 2025). This public WHA2025 side event schedule includes both official and independent side events happening in Geneva and online throughout the WHA week.

Browse the calendar to find relevant WHA side-events, coordinate with partners, and make the most of this important global health moment.

The inclusion of events on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement by GSF.  This WHA2025 calendar of events is updated regularly, but GSF does not take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of third-party listings. We encourage you to verify all event details via the official links provided.

We also warmly invite you to register for the GSF WHA Side-Event

Know of a WHA78 event that’s missing?

Submit it using the button below so we can include it in the calendar and increase its visibility among WHA78 attendees.

Event submissions are subject to a review against inclusion criteria.

Sunday, 18 May 2025

WHA side-events schedule

Cancelled: Walk the Talk Geneva 2025

World Health Organization
9:00 - 11:00 AM
Place des Nations

Nursing & Midwifery Stakeholders Meeting on SOTA Care

G4 Alliance, Global Surgery Foundation, Operation Smile
11:00 AM - 1 PM
GSF Headquarters at Campus Biotech
By invitation only

10th Anniversary Celebration of the Global Surgery Movement

International College of Surgeons, The G4 Alliance
4:00 - 7:00 PM
Warwick Hotel

Monday, 19 May 2025

WHA side-events schedule

Unlocking the Value of ‘Women and Health’ - A paradigm shift for equity, innovation, and sustainable impact

7:30 - 10:30 AM
City Cancer Challenge (C/Can)
Hotel InterContinental, Ballroom B

Integrating Congenital Conditions into Maternal and Child Health Programs

Global Action for Congenital Conditions (GACC)
7:30 - 9:30 AM
John Knox International Center

The ECO Continuum: How ACAN is Driving Better Patient Outcomes

Acute Care Action Network (ACAN)
7:30 - 9:00 AM
Impact Hub

Operating for Equity: Strengthening Surgical Systems to Achieve UHC

International Student Surgical Network – InciSioN
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Civil Society Networking Space

Global Health Diplomacy Forum: Innovative Strategies to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) & Youth Empowerment in Global Health

Taiwan Healthcare Youth Alliance (THYA)
1:00 - 5:00 PM
President Wilson Hotel Geneva

Rising Challenges, Diminishing Resources: Investing in the Health Workforce to Deliver UHC

World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA)
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Warwick Hotel

Accelerating Catalytic Financing in a New Era: Powerful Opportunities Beyond 2025

The Global Surgery Foundation
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Hotel InterContinental, Ballroom A
Catered dinner reception follows panel discussions

Tuesday, 20 May 2025

WHA side-events schedule

Turning The Tide: Leveraging Ai And Innovative Finance For Healthcare Resilience

Health Innovation Exchange
All-day
Hotel InterContinental

Geneva Health Forum 2025 (Day 1)

Nutrition
See link for latest session schedule
All-day
Campus Biotech

From Data to Action: How Standards & Metrics Drive Patient Safety

WFSA, UCSF Center for Health Equity in Surgery & Anesthesia (CHESA)
12:00 - 2:00 PM
Geneva Press Club

Transforming Women’s Health: Lessons from the Global South

Presented by Jhpiego and their partners with support from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)
12:30 - 14:30 PM
InterContinental Geneva - Ballroom A

China's Medical Technology Innovation and its Implication for Global Health

UNIGE, Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University
12:30 - 3:00 PM
Campus Biotech

Malnutrition, the road to 2030: building on success, facing what's next

Geneva Health Forum
2:00 - 4:30 PM
Campus Biotech

Launch of the Lancet Health Policy article on Global Surgery 2025-2035

NIHR Global Surgery Unit, University of Birmingham, The Lancet, BJS
6:00 - 10:00 PM
La Pastorale

2 Year Country Progress on Implementing 76.19, Reducing Microdeficiencies Though Large Scale Food Fortification

Global Alliance for the Prevention of Spina Bifida and Folic Acid Deficiency (GAPSBIF)
6:00 - 8:30 PM
UNICEF Office

Global Coalition on Oral Health: Mobilizing for Equity, Leadership, and Action towards the 4th UNHLM on NCDs and beyond

FDI World Dental Dederation & the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
6:30 - 8:45 AM
Royal Hotel Geneva

Wednesday, 21 May 2025

WHA side-events schedule

Geneva Health Forum 2025 (Day 2)

Climate Change and Health, Migration and Health
See link for latest session schedule
All-day
Campus Biotech

Innovative Health Financing for Sustainable Cancer Care - The Money. The Metrics. The Models. What’s changing - and why it matters

City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) & Access Accelerated
8:00 - 10:30 AM
Hotel InterContinental (Rome Room)
By invitation only

The Power of Partnerships: Is there a Wider Private Sector Role in Achieving the Global Health Agenda

International SOS
8:00 - 10:00 AM
Hotel Royal Geneva

Scaling Impact: Climate & Health Solutions That Drive Change

Geneva Health Forum
9:00 - 10:30 AM
Campus Biotech

Fourth Meeting of the Global Coalition of Deans of Schools of Public Health

Global Coalition of Deans of Schools of Public Health
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Campus Biotech

Advancing Global Health: Science Agenda for the World Health Assembly

Science Summit
11:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Hotel InterContinental

Recognizing Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a Chronic Notifiable Condition & Operative Encounter Registry (OER)

G4 Alliance, Northwest School of Medicine, Cambridge University, Brain Injury Canada
2:00 PM
Novotel Geneve Centre

Changing the Story: Collaboration & Solutions for Migrant Health

Geneva Health Forum
2:00 - 3:30 PM
Campus Biotech

Climate Change and Health: Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing World

Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University
2:00 - 3:30 PM
Campus Biotech

Leveraging Innovation for NCD Care: Policy, Systems, and Lessons from Oncology Leaders

Hosted by MSD
2:00 - 4:00 PM
Novotel Genève Centre

Strengthening Health Systems for Universal Health Coverage: Implementing Surgical Care

Operation Smile, Mercy Ships
5:00 PM
Hotel Warwick

Navigating evolving contexts: From local production to equitable access to health products – lessons from MAV+ on bridging the gap

Team Europe MAV+
5:30 - 7:00 PM
By invitation only (see contact details at link)

Milestones & Momentum in Rare Diseases: 10 Years of Progress, 10 Years of Possibility

Rare Diseases International
6:00 - 9:00 PM
La Pastorale

Strengthening Medical Imaging Capacity: The Time is Now

ISR, WFNMB and Siemens Healthineers
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Four Seasons Hotel Des Bergues

TRANSFORMING THE NARRATIVE: Chronic Respiratory Diseases in the HLM4

Copenhagen Institute of Futures Studies, Sanofi Regeneron
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Hilton Geneva Hotel & Conference Centre

Thursday, 22 May 2025

WHA side-events schedule

Geneva Digital Health Day - Geneva Health Forum 2025 (Day 3)

9 AM - 7 PM
Digital Health, AI, Implementation Science and Policy, Space & Health
See link for latest session schedule
Campus Biotech

Better Community Health : A New Landscape of Community Health in the Era of Aging, Urbanization, and Digital Transformation

School of Public Health, Fudan University
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Campus Biotech

Bridging Field Experience and Global Evidence to Elevate Reconstructive Surgery on the World Health Agenda

2nd Chance Swiss Association
5:45 PM
La Pastorale

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: A STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE FOR HEALTH

World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Ecole Hôtelière de Genève

Evidence-Based Policy Making for Digital Wellbeing: Addressing Problematic Internet Use (PUI)

WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Research in Mental Health SWI54
6:30 PM
Campus Biotech

Friday, 23 May 2025

WHA side-events schedule

Geneva Health Forum 2025 (Day 4)

See link for latest session schedule
All-day
Campus Biotech

Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health 2025

Korea Foundation for International Healthcare
1:30 - 3:30 PM
Campus Biotech

Addressing Pediatric Non-Communicable Diseases: Building Systems-Based Approaches in Nutrition

International Initiative for Pediatrics and Nutrition
5 - 7 PM
Hotel President Wilson, Apollon Conference Room

Something missing? Use the button at the top of this page to submit a 2025 WHA78 side-event.