2026 Calendar of Side Events: 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79)
The Central Hub for WHA79 Side Events The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) is proud to host the community's primary calendar for the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79). As the global health community gathers in Geneva in May 2026, this resource serves as your comprehensive guide to the week’s agenda.
This public WHA79 Side Event Schedule tracks both official and independent gatherings, offering a centralized view of what is happening across Geneva and online.
Use this calendar to:
Discover high-impact sessions, panels, and networking receptions.
Coordinate your schedule with partners and policymakers.
Navigate the complex landscape of events during WHA week.
Disclaimer The inclusion of events on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement by the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF). While this WHA 2026 calendar is updated regularly, GSF does not assume responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of third-party listings. We strongly encourage attendees to verify all event details (time, venue, and registration) directly via the official host links provided.
Hosting an event at WHA79? Add it to the schedule.
Ensure your session is visible to the thousands of delegates, policymakers, and partners using this guide to navigate the assembly. We welcome submissions for all relevant global health side events, whether held in-person in Geneva or virtually. Please review the submission guidelines.
Saturday, 16 May 2026
WHA side-events schedule
World Heart Federation
Full day
Campus Biotech, 9 Chemin des Mines
Sunday, 17 May 2026
WHA side-events schedule
World Heart Federation
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Campus Biotech, 9 Chemin des Mines
World Heart Federation, NCD Alliance
12:00 - 12:45 PM
Campus Biotech, 9 Chemin des Mines
From Progress to Power: How African Institutions are Redefining the Future of Global Health
Merck
12:00 - 2:30 PM
Hotel InterContinental
Youth Coffee Chat: Connecting Young Voices at WHA79 Workshop
Taiwan Healthcare Youth Alliance
1:30 - 4:30 PM
Parc de La Perle du Lac
The Global TBI Coalition, Global Health Research Group of NIHR University of Cambridge, Northwest School of Medicine, and The G4 Alliance
4:00 - 7:00 PM
Novotel Genève Centre
Building Sustainable Perioperative care 2035
International College of Surgeons
5:30 - 7:30 PM
Warwick Hotel
Lives in the Balance: Health Sovereignty, Financing Reform and Protecting What Matters Most: Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health
The World Health Organization
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Red Cross Museum Café Hinivuu
Monday, 18 May 2026
WHA side-events schedule
Business Council for International Understanding and the GE HealthCare Foundation
7:00 - 09:00 AM
This event is by invitation only. To learn more or register you interest, please contact lifesciences@bciu.org
Evidence to action: Preventing lead poisoning to save lives
The World Health Organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Resolve to Save Lives
8:00 - 09:00 AM
Restaurant Vieux Bois
City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) event
C/Can
8:00 - 10:30 AM
Ballroom B, Hotel InterContinental
Strategic Leadership for Nurses and Midwives: A Policy Pathway to Stronger Health Systems
G4 Alliance
8:45 - 11:30 AM
International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
NCDs and mental health: from declaration to delivery
Boehringer Ingelheim
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Hotel InterContinental
2026 WHA Taiwan Digital Health Forum: AI Governance and Digital Health Innovation
Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Ballroom, Hotel President Wilson
The Future of Health Security and Sustainable Investment
Foreign Policy
12:00 - 3:00 PM
Hotel InterContinental
Keep It Simple – No Mosquitoes, No Dengue!
GX Foundation
12:00 - 3:00 PM
Hotel InterContinental
The AMR–Health Security Equation: Why Diplomacy Matters for Cooperation?
ECSA & Health Diplomacy Alliance
1:00 - 2:30 PM
Warwick Geneva
Every breath counts: making the right diagnosis at the right time
Boehringer Ingelheim
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Hotel InterContinental
2nd Chance
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Campus Biotech
Healthcare Youth Alliance
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Hotel President Wilson
Cancer Policy and Innovation: From Early Detection to Equitable Treatment
Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Ballroom, Hotel President Wilson
Decent Work for UHC: Investing in a Resilient Workforce in Challenging Contexts
Cordaid, Frontline Health Workers Coalition & the Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma and Anaesthesia Care
2:30 - 4:00 PM
Auditorium de la Pastorale
Early detection of cardiovascular-renal-metabolic conditions: from silent to seen
Boehringer Ingelheim
3:30 - 4:30 PM
Hotel InterContinental
Orygen & headspace Denmark
5:30 - 7:30 PM
Hotel Royal
The World Medical Association
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Warwick Hotel
Laerdal Foundation
6:00 - 7:30 PM
WHO HQ
From Vision to Action: Five Years of the WHO Global Diabetes Compact
The WHO Global Diabetes Compact
6:00 - 8:00 PM
La vie des Champs
How can simulation training ensure midwives are crisis-ready?
UNFPA, American Academy of Pediatrics, ICM and Laerdal Global Health
6:00 - 8:00 PM
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
AI and the Future of Health Systems Arab Swiss Health Dialogue
Geneva Health Forum
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Campus Biotech
Side-Event of the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF)
The Global Surgery Foundation
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Ballroom A, Hotel InterContinental
Locally led solutions and strategic partnerships: driving lasting change in health systems across Africa
Amref Health Africa
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Hotel President Wilson
Tuesday, 19 May 2026
WHA side-events schedule
Roundtable on From Resolution to Results: Advancing Medical Imaging Capacity for Equitable Care
Business Council for International Understanding and GE HealthCare
7:00 - 09:00 AM
This event is by invitation only. To learn more or register you interest, please contact lifesciences@bciu.org
Promoting Global Action on Childhood-Onset Heart Disease to Advance Child Health and Survival
Business Council for International Understanding, The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Namibia, Children's HeartLink, GE HealthCare Foundation, and Siemens Healthineers
8:00 - 10:00 AM
This event is by invitation only. To learn more or register you interest, please contact lifesciences@bciu.org
GSF Partner Breakfast Reception
GSF HQ
8:30 - 10:30 AM
By Invitation Only.
Arboviruses: Shaking or Shaping the Future of Global Health
International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD)
8:30 - 10:00 AM
Hotel President Wilson
Cities for Health: How local leadership, data, and policy are driving the future of care
Foreign Policy, in partnership with McKinsey Health Institute, MSD, and Novartis
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Hôtel Royal Genève
Frontline First: Investing In and Designing AI for Real‑World Care
Jhpiego, Viamo, and the Mozambique Ministry of Health
8:30 - 10:30 AM
Hotel InterContinental
What can AI do in Biology? A Briefing for the Health Community
Simon Institute for Longterm Governance
9:00 - 10:30 AM
Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Global Hepatitis C Elimination: Experience and the Road Ahead
Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan
9:00 - 12:00 AM
Ballroom, Hotel President Wilson
Boehringer Ingelheim
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Hotel InterContinental
Migration, displacement and health in a changing world: from the margins to a global health priority
Alliance 4EU+
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Campus Biotech
Building people-centred cancer systems: advancing rights, equity and support across the care pathway
UICC & McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
UICC office
Second GCM Participants Gathering
The World Health Organization GCM
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
WHO HQ
Funding Opportunity: Expanding Eye Care Through Government Health Systems
Livelihood Impact Fund
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Warwick Geneva Hotel
Lives in the Balance: Accelerating Action for Adolescent Health and Well-Being in a Changing World: Safeguarding Rights, Financing the Future, and Strengthening Systems for Impact
The World Health Org
11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Red Cross Museum
The obesity–liver connection: shaping the future of metabolic care
Boehringer Ingelheim
12:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Hotel InterContinental
The Government of Barbados, NCD Alliance, United for Global Mental Health with the Government of the Philippines, UNDP and UN Inter-Agency Task Force on NCDs
1:00 AM - 2:30 PM
WHO HQ
HEAR-CSO
1:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Hybrid event
Catalyzing Global Collaboration to Strengthen Clinical Trials Systems
International Vaccine Institute and Pasteur Network
1:30 - 4:00 PM
Warwick Geneva Hotel
Strengthening Universal Health Coverage in a Transforming World
STUF United Fund, Global Health Council, International Medical Informatics Association
1:30 - 5:30 PM
Hotel President Wilson
The Next Era of Cancer Care: Innovation, Policy, and Sustainable Financing
MSD
2:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Hotel d'Angleterre
In conversation: where lived experience meets policy
Boehringer Ingelheim
3:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Hotel InterContinental
Harnessing AI and Technology to Advance Nutritional Care for Children with Non-Communicable Diseases
International Initiative for Pediatrics and Nutrition (IIPAN) and Columbia University Irving Medical Center
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Hotel President Wilson
African Leaders Malaria Alliance, African Medicines Agency, Medicines for Malaria Venture
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Espace L'Entre'Actes, Restaurant du Vieux Bois
Armenia, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Luxembourg, Sri Lanka, the Sultanate of Oman, and the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF)
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Maison de Maître, La Pastorale
Business Council for International Understanding and Pfizer
6:00 - 8:00 PM
This event is by invitation only. To learn more or register you interest, please contact lifesciences@bciu.org.
Preventing childhood obesity and T2D: advancing leadership for sustainable impact
The International Diabetes Federation, World Diabetes Foundation and World Obesity Federation
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Red Cross Museum
Investing in Safer Births: Scaling what works
Laerdal Global Health
6:00 - 8:00 PM
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
Health is Wealth: Why Investing in Health Professionals Pays Off
WHPA: World Health Professions Alliance
6:00 - 8:30 PM
Salle Mont Blanc, Warwick Hotel
WHA High-Level Dialogue on Healthy Indoor Air
French Ministry of Health, Air Club, Geneva Health Forum, Brown University Pandemic Center, and the University of Melbourne
6:00 - 8:30 PM
Campus Biotech
Oral Health in the workplace: a strategic opportunity in workforce productivity and well-being
FDI World Dental Federation
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Hotel Royal
Documentary Screening - The Making of a Surgeon: Fighting Africa’s Hidden Crisis
Operation Smile
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Geneva Graduate Institute Petal 2 Building, Auditorium Ivan Pictet B (Floor 3)
Wednesday, 20 May 2026
WHA side-events schedule
Commonwealth Secretariat & World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry
7:30 - 9:30 AM
Commonwealth Small States Office
The Clean Air Dividend: Investing in Health for All
NCD Alliance
7:30 - 9:30 AM
Ballroom C, Hotel InterContinental
The Lifesaving Potential of Death Data
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Hotel InterContinental
Pain in Global Health: Strengthening Coordinated Action for Equitable Access to Effective Pain Care
International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
8:00 - 9:30 AM
Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge
Bridging the AMR Divide: Equity, Access, and Community-Led Solutions
ReAct Africa, World Council of Churches
9:00 - 10:30 AM
World Council of Churches, Kyoto Building
Geneva Health Forum (GHF)
9:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva (Campus Biotech)
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Institute of Global Health, UNIGE
Rethinking Global Health Infrastructure in a Changing World
WashU School of Public Health
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Ballroom C, Hotel InterContinental
Country-Led, Globally Supported: The ALIGN-T1D Model
The ALIGN-T1D
12:00 - 2:00 PM
Hotel InterContinental
From Resolution to Implementation: Shaping the Future of Global Stroke Care
Global Stroke Action Coalition, Ministry of Health and Population of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Business Council for International Understanding
12:30 - 2:00 PM
This event is by invitation only. To learn more or register you interest, please contact lifesciences@bciu.org
Ministry of Health of Malaysia, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS)
1:00 - 2:20 PM
WHO HQ
Global health architecture reform and UHC
HEAR-CSO
2:00 - 3:30 PM
Hybrid event
Promoting Human Rights in Digital Health and AI Strategies: National and Global perspectives
Digital Health and Rights Project
2:00 - 3:30 PM
ImpactHub
Precision Prevention: Rethinking HPV Screening in the Era of Extended Genotyping
Waters, Business Council for International Understanding
2:00 - 3:30 PM
Union for International Cancer Control - To register your interest, please email lifesciences@bciu.org.
Alima
2:00 - 4:30 PM
Campus Biotech
Geneva Health Forum (GHF)
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva (Campus Biotech)
Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan; Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève(HUG)
2:00 - 5:00 PM
HUG Innovation Center
Alima
2:30 - 4:00 PM
Campus Biotech
Reducing the Burden of Stroke: Strengthening Health System Readiness
Siemens Healthineers, Ministry of Health Egypt
3:00 - 6:30 PM
Hotel President Wilson
University of Utah in Partnership with International SOS
3:00 - 6:30 PM
Hotel President Wilson
Maternal and Child Health: Building the Capacity to Care
Women's Health and Education Center (WHEC)
4:17 - 5:15 PM
Virtual Side Event
BUSPH The Future of Public Health: Perspectives from Around the World
Boston University School of Public Health
6:00 - 7:00 PM
Hotel President Wilson
Climate change, health and cities – From global commitments to local impact
Global Cities Hub
6:00 - 7:15 PM
Villa Rigot
Republic of the Philippines, International Vaccine Institute
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Palais des Nations (Salle XI)
Climate Change and Respiratory Health
Geneva Health Forum & Health Diplomacy Alliance
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Campus Biotech
A Sustainable and Ethical Future for Health Worker Mobility
Center for Global Development
6:30 - 8:00 PM
The Graduate Institute (IHEID)
Health of Palestine Refugees in the oPt-Persistent Challenges, Uninterrupted Care
UNRWA
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Hotel Intercontinental
Advancing Maternal Health Through AI-Enabled Medical Devices and Software
Business Council for International Understanding and Philips
7:00 - 9:00 PM
This event is by invitation only. To learn more or register you interest, please contact lifesciences@bciu.org.
Thursday, 21 May 2026
WHA side-events schedule
Health Diplomacy Alliance
8:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Rothschild Buildings
Health Diplomacy Alliance
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Rothschild Buildings
gdhub
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Campus Biotech
From Vision to Action: A Holistic Approach to Metabolic Health and NCD Prevention and Care
European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)
9:00 - 10:30 AM
Hotel InterContinental
What’s at Stake and What Comes Next for Global Health Reform (Health Diplomacy House)
Stockholm School of Economics (Center for Resilient Health) & Partnership fInternational Politics and Diplomacy for Health & Karolinska Institute
9:30 - 11:00 AM
Rothschild Building
Climate Change and Respiratory Health - Fireside Chat - (Health Diplomacy House)
Geneva Health Forum and Health Diplomacy Alliance
10:00 - 11:00 AM
Rothschild Building
Global Alliance for Patient Access, Mended Hearts Europe, Global Patient Alliance for Kidney Health, Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health, International Atherosclerosis Society, Partnership for Women's Wellness
12:00 - 2:00 PM
Hotel InterContinental
Plastics & Health: What We're Not Talking About (Health Diplomacy House)
Diplomacy Alliance & Geneva Environmental Network
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Rothschild Building
GAIN, Helen Keller Intl
1:00 - 2:30 PM
Palais des Nations, Room XVI
Women at the Heart of Health Diplomacy. Heal, Lead, Seal
Health Diplomacy Alliance
1:30 - 2:20 PM
Rothschild Building
Health Diplomacy Youth Network & World’s Youth for Climate Justice
1:30 - 2:30 PM
Rothschild Building
The Role of Journalism in Global Health Diplomacy (Health Diplomacy House)
Geneva Health Files
2:00 - 3:30 PM
Rothschild Building
OHE (Office of Health Economics)
2:30 - 3:20 PM
Rothschild Building
Roundtable on the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (Health Diplomacy House)
Health Diplomacy Youth Network & World’s Youth for Climate Justice
3:00 - 4:30 PM
Rothschild Building. By Invitation Only.
Advancing a Common Care Framework for Ethical Health Worker Mobility (Health Diplomacy House)
Africa-Europe Foundation
3:40 - 5:00 PM
Rothschild Building. By Invitation Only.
Check the Box – AMR (Health Diplomacy House- Closing)
Health Diplomacy Alliance
5:00 - 6:30 PM
Rothschild Building
Together for Better Liver Health - The Hidden NCDs: SLD as the next Global Public Health Priority
Global Liver Institute and Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Pavillion Gallatin
Friday, 22 May 2026
WHA side-events schedule
Promoting Peace and Health: Public Health’s Role
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)
8:00 - 9:30 AM
Restaurant Vieux Bois
ASCVD Policy Roundtable: Advancing Prevention and Chronic Management Amid Rising Burdens
Business Council for International Understanding
12:00 - 2:30 PM
This event is by invitation only. To register you interest please email lifesciences@bciu.org.
Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health 2026
Geneva Health Forum (GHF)
1:00 - 5:00 PM
Institute of Global Health
Something missing?
Use the button at the top of this page to submit a 2026 WHA79 side-event.
Submission Guidelines
To be listed on the WHA79 Calendar, your event must be:
Relevant: Focused on global health or WHA79 agenda topics.
Open: Accessible to the public (no private/internal team meetings).
Confirmed: Must have a set date, time, and valid registration link or venue.
Timely: Taking place in May 2026 during the assembly period.
Note: GSF reserves the right to decline submissions that are purely commercial, incomplete, or unrelated to the assembly.