The World Heart Federation (WHF) proudly represented the global cardiovascular community at the Seventy-Seventh World Health Assembly, which successfully concluded on 1 June 2024.
WHF played a key role in leading two constituency statements on Universal Health Coverage and Climate Change and Health, calling on Member States to:
- Expand coverage of essential health services for circulatory conditions to all by 2030;
- Prioritize primary care in public health funding and human resources for health allocation plans;
- Include existing evidence-based and cost-effective interventions for circulatory diseases in UHC benefit packages at primary care level;
- Address commercial determinants of health to limit the devastating health effects of exposure to fossil fuel combustion; and
- Develop a results-based Global Plan of Action on Climate Change and Health
WHF delivered two individual statements on Maternal Health and Child Mortality and Well-Being and Health Promotion, urging Member States to grant particular consideration to cardiovascular disease in women, rheumatic heart disease, and physical inactivity. WHF also supported three constituency statements led by the NCD Alliance, which addressed the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, a prospective Pandemic Agreement, and Noncommunicable Diseases.
The Health Assembly adopted its Fourteenth General Programme of Work and several key WHA resolutions on Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, and Antimicrobial Resistance, among others. In particular, Member States passed a historic resolution on Climate Change and Health, endorsed a set of amendments to the International Health Regulations, and outlined a path to a Pandemic Agreement.
WHF hosted five side events, each addressing critical issues related to cardiovascular disease:
As we move forward, WHF remains committed to ensuring that cardiovascular health remains a priority within the global health agenda. We will continue to closely engage with WHO and its Members States, advocating for our Members both regionally and globally, as we approach the Fourth UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs in 2025.
