2025 a year of global health milestones, challenges

As we look back on 2025, the world experienced a year of both remarkable achievement and profound challenge in global health. Multilateralism, science and solidarity were tested as never before, underscoring a fundamental truth: international cooperation is not optional. It is essential if we are to protect and promote health for everyone, everywhere in 2026 and beyond.

Perhaps the most significant milestone was the adoption by WHO member states of the Pandemic Agreement, a landmark step toward making the world safer from future pandemics. Alongside this, amendments to the International Health Regulations came into force, including a new "pandemic emergency" alert level designed to trigger stronger global cooperation. And to sustainably finance WHO's work, governments in a historic show of support increased their contributions to our core budget. Together, these measures demonstrate what multilateralism can deliver when countries choose collaboration over division.

Countries are now negotiating the pathogen access and benefit sharing system of the Pandemic Agreement. This aims to ensure rapid sharing of pathogens and genetic sequence data, as well as equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. We hope this work will be completed by this coming May, allowing the overall agreement to begin its entry into force as international law.

Beyond pandemic preparedness, WHO advanced public health on multiple fronts in 2025. We validated the safety and life-saving impact of vaccines; issued guidance on innovations such as injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention and GLP-1 therapies for obesity; responded to humanitarian crises from Gaza and Sudan to Ukraine; supported countries in achieving universal health coverage through locally tailored solutions and sustainable financing; and saw the UN General Assembly adopt a landmark political declaration to tackle noncommunicable diseases and mental health challenges — the deadliest and most widespread health threats of our era.

Science matters. Evidence matters. Trust matters.

That is why WHO and its partners devoted sustained effort throughout 2025 to strengthening vaccine safety, effectiveness and use. We commit to sustaining this as a priority in 2026. Immunization remains one of the most powerful public-health interventions in history, saving millions of lives every year. Its impact is clear: global measles deaths have fallen by 88 percent since 2000; malaria vaccines are now being rolled out in 24 African countries; and 86 million girls have been vaccinated against human papillomavirus, helping prevent cervical cancer.

At the same time, WHO reaffirmed the safety of vaccines, and emphasized the importance of routine immunization to protect children against highly contagious diseases such as measles, polio, hepatitis B and diphtheria. Over the past 25 years, global under-five mortality has fallen by more than half — from 11 million deaths annually to 4.8 million — and vaccines have been central to this progress. Immunization is not a luxury; it is an essential health service. It is a cornerstone of universal health coverage and essential for children to be able to grow into being healthy adults.

In 2025, WHO also validated major achievements in disease elimination. The Maldives became the first country to achieve triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B. Burundi, Egypt and Fiji eliminated trachoma; Guinea and Kenya eliminated sleeping sickness; Niger became Africa's first country to eliminate river blindness; and Brazil eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Georgia, Suriname and Timor-Leste were certified malaria-free. We look forward to more such successes this year.

Last year also marked a major step in addressing obesity, one of the fastest-growing global health challenges. More than one billion people worldwide live with obesity, a chronic and relapsing condition that drives other noncommunicable diseases and worsens outcomes for infectious diseases. WHO issued its first guideline on the use of GLP-1 therapies for obesity, with conditional recommendations recognizing that obesity requires comprehensive, lifelong care. Medication alone will not solve the obesity crisis. But evidence-based tools, used responsibly and equitably, can reduce suffering and improve quality of life.

Rapid advances in digital technologies — including artificial intelligence, robotics, genomics and advanced data sciences — are also transforming health care. In 2026, WHO will continue helping countries integrate these innovations into their health systems and translate them into scalable solutions. Initiatives such as digital self-monitoring of blood pressure among pregnant women show how innovation can strengthen primary health care and expand access, particularly in rural and remote settings.

Universal health coverage remains our shared destination. Since 2000, access to health services and financial protection have improved by about one third of people, but progress has stalled. Today, 4.6 billion people still lack access to essential health services, and more than one in four face financial hardship due to health costs. This is not inevitable, we can and must make progress.

In response to crises, WHO supported 48 emergencies in 79 countries in 2025, reaching more than 30 million people. This took place amid increased dangers on the ground, and drastic cuts to foreign health aid that threaten to persist into 2026. WHO's work ranged from cholera vaccination campaigns in Sudan to evacuating severely ill and injured patients from Gaza for treatment abroad. And we will continue working to alleviate the suffering of people in crisis, working with partners to do so. Still, conflict continues to exact a heavy toll, with rising attacks on health care in violation of international law. Health care must never be a target.

The past year highlighted the resilience of the global health community and the power of collaboration. The Pandemic Agreement's adoption and successes in disease elimination reflect our capacity for progress. However, ongoing inequalities and funding cuts persist, putting the world's most vulnerable at continued risk.

As we move into 2026, we must prioritize our collective health to ensure universal health coverage and a healthier world for everyone. By doing so, we can fulfil the vision of the World Health Organization from 1948, where people achieve the highest standard of health, not as a privilege for some, but as a right for all.

The author is Director-General of World Health Organization.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.