Theme: 'My health, my right’. 

This year’s theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination. 

WHO Patients for Patients Safety (PFPS) is a programme of WHO Flagship Initiative “A Decade of Patient Safety 2021-2030” that engages and empowers patients and families and facilitates their partnership with health professionals and policy-makers to make health care services safer worldwide. PFPS was set up in 2005 with a vision is to engage, empower, encourage and facilitate patients and families to build and/or participate in global networks advocating for, and partnering with health professionals and policy makers to make health care services safer, more integrated, and people-centred for all.

The initiative supports malaria elimination across 6 countries of the Greater Mekong subregion (GMS) – Cambodia, China (Yunnan province), the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. MME’s key area of work include partnership coordination, advocacy and communication, as well as leading technical support on cross-country projects, regional/country surveillance, national malaria elimination intensification plans, and aggressive approaches.

The initiative will build on the “Focusing Resources on Effective School Health” (FRESH) partnership. Led by a WHO/UNESCO task force, an external advisory group is being created including other UN agencies, and contributors from universities, international networks, institutions, international and regional Civil Society Organizations representing the education and health sectors.

In May 2018, the WHO Director-General announced a global call for action to eliminate cervical cancer, underscoring renewed political will to make elimination a reality and calling for all stakeholders to unite behind this common goal.

In August 2020 the World Health Assembly adopted the Global Strategy for cervical cancer elimination.

The WHO Access to Oxygen Initiative provides technical and operational support to Member States.  This includes identifying and implementing holistic solutions to enable a resilient oxygen ecosystem.

In 26 October 2015, Viet Nam launched a one million pledges campaign of individuals making personal pledge to make better use of antibiotics and help save these vital medicines from becoming ineffective. This campaign culminates in Hanoi at a national event on the 21nd of November.

In Japan, Mr Katsumura Hisashi lost his first child during childbirth when his wife was given a labour-inducing drug without being informed of the details of her treatment. At that time, hospitals were not obligated to inform patients of the details of treatment, and there were no clear pathways for consent and understanding between patients and medical professionals. Since then, he has become an advocate for patient participation and patient-centred medicine and has succeeded in getting laws amended to require disclosure of medical information to patients.

The seventy-third session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific was held in Manila, Philippines, from 24 to 28 October 2022.

Health leaders from 18 Pacific island countries and areas (PICs) convened in the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa for the Fifteenth Pacific Health Ministers Meeting (15th PHMM). During the meeting, held from 20 to 22 September, health leaders committed to 26 coordinated actions to tackle priority health issues: human resources for health, health information systems and digital health, health system resilience, and obesity among children and young people. 

Mai Van Chuyen, a physical education teacher from Dak Lak province in Vietnam, works to prevent drowning in the country by bringing mobile swimming pools to villages and teaching children’s basic underwater skills and safety.

As a community nurse and midwife, Ismaziah Binti Ibrahim understands the importance of accessible maternal health care. The clinic where she works, Klinik Desa Broga in the Malaysian state of Selangor, is often the first point of contact between local pregnant women and the health system. Watch the story of Ismaziah Binti Ibrahim's work caring for women and children in Malaysia.

The World Health Organization’s ‘Who's WHO’ video series tells the story of the WHO workforce and the work they do to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. From country to region to headquarters, their stories give insight into who is WHO – through the sharing of personal, inspirational and interesting anecdotes about the person behind the employee.

Dengue (break-bone fever) is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.

Putting people and communities at the centre of health care is a key element of tackling many health issues. When it comes to diseases like leprosy, tailored, context-based approaches are essential. So Visal is a physiotherapist in Cambodia who has been working with people affected by leprosy for close to 25 years. Watch his story about building relationships and working directly with village chiefs, health centre staff and community members in the country.

WHO’s 75th anniversary year is an opportunity to look back at public health successes that have improved the quality of life during the last seven decades. It is also an opportunity to motivate action to tackle the health challenges of today and tomorrow. Theme: Health For All

Udila Tawake is a registered nurse in Fiji who cares for patients with respiratory conditions. She knows all too well the dangers created by the lack of a consistent and reliable supply of medicinal oxygen -- a situation that is even worse for health-care centres in more remote, hard-to-reach areas. Delivering medicinal oxygen to these facilities is complicated, and the equipment required often cannot be used during power outages, which are common in many areas. This is her story of innovation through the Oxygen Project to bring supplies to remote areas.

When Tim was subjected to bullying during school, his mental health took a heavy toll and stigma meant that help was hard to find. Now, he’s an advocate for mental health, working on ways to teach empathy to school kids.

Karo is a nurse-midwife at the Fiji Cancer Society. She advocates for a community-centred approach which builds trust and empowers women to seek early and regular clinical screening for cervical and breast cancers.

When local officials visited Pa Vang’s rural Hmong community in search of volunteers to train as traditional birth attendants, she was nominated by her fellow villagers to attend. Since then, she has supported hundreds of women in accessing care as they give birth.

Following surgery for a cancerous tumour, Sok Voeun was able to receive primary health care services at her local health centre. Her ability to access a nearby clinic using her health scheme card eased the burden of her illness and recovery.

After a difficult conversation with his doctor, Khishigdavaa made the important decision to change his diet and lifestyle to combat noncommunicable diseases. These days, he runs a health club in Dharkan Soum where he supports individuals in his community to achieve their health and wellness goals.

Anolyn learnt the value of an active lifestyle through her journey to play table tennis at the Olympics. Now, she helps women in Vanuatu to lead active, healthy lives.

As a preschool teacher, Emily shares her story about teaching children how to properly brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste to help them develop life-long healthy habits.

The seventy-fourth session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific was held in Manila, Philippines, from 16 to 20 October 2023.

Health leaders from 18 Pacific island countries and areas (PICs) convened in the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa for the Fifteenth Pacific Health Ministers Meeting (15th PHMM). During the meeting, held from 20 to 22 September, health leaders committed to 26 coordinated actions to tackle priority health issues: human resources for health, health information systems and digital health, health system resilience, and obesity among children and young people. 

Health leaders from 18 Pacific island countries and areas (PICs) convened in the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa for the Fifteenth Pacific Health Ministers Meeting (15th PHMM). During the meeting, held from 20 to 22 September, health leaders committed to 26 coordinated actions to tackle priority health issues: human resources for health, health information systems and digital health, health system resilience, and obesity among children and young people. 

The seventy-fourth session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific was held in Manila, Philippines, from 16 to 20 October 2023.

The C4H approach encourages communicators to focus on health outcomes and impact. Harnessing insights from social, behavioural and communication sciences, C4H works to increase knowledge, change attitudes and shift behaviours for improved health outcomes at the individual, community and societal levels.

In line with the Region’s For the Future vision, WHO advocates a broader role for governments in health innovation in order to regain momentum towards WHO’s global goals and the Sustainable Development Goals health targets.