Luxembourg Highlights Need for WHO to Remain Operational Amid World Crises

On Monday 20 May 2025, during her address to the World Health Assembly (WHA), in Geneva, Switzerland, Luxembourg’s Minister of Health and Social Security, Martine Deprez, highlighted the urgent need for the World Health Organization (WHO) to remain operational and financially sustainable.

Luxembourg’s Ministry of Health and Social Security reported that, in her speech, Minister Deprez underlined the importance of a robust WHO in tackling global public health threats and managing health security risks and described the adoption of the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response Accord as a historic moment. She emphasised that this agreement represents a crucial step forward in addressing global health risks and challenges.

Minister Deprez remarked on the prescience of this year’s WHA theme, “A World United for Health”, in relation to the rising number of global health crises. She drew attention to the heavy burden placed on healthcare systems and vulnerable populations and referred to the ongoing armed conflicts, particularly in Ukraine and Gaza, which continue to have severe health consequences. 

The minister also noted that current geopolitical tensions pose a serious challenge to the multilateral system, putting additional pressure on the WHO as a specialised agency of the United Nations and commended the WHO’s achievements since its founding in 1948, reiterating the vital importance of its leadership and coordination in global public health. She urged the organisation to press on with its internal reforms and confirmed Luxembourg’s continued support for a strong WHO, committed to its core mandate of developing science-based global standards and guidelines and assisting Member States in implementing them.

Minister Deprez then took the opportunity to reaffirm Luxembourg’s role as co-facilitator of the upcoming Political Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, which is due to be adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2025, and stressed the vital role of primary healthcare as the foundation of universal health coverage, calling for a shift in healthcare systems towards health promotion and disease prevention to improve both social and economic well-being.

Furthermore, Minister Derez called the adoption of the pandemic accord, which took place during a WHA plenary session, “a moment of great pride for the WHO and its members”. She said: “It sends a powerful message of solidarity and strengthens international cooperation for a fairer, healthier world.” According to the ministry, the accord aims to enhance global capacity for pandemic preparedness and response. 

The ministry noted that although Member States had adopted the main agreement, negotiations on an annex concerning access and benefit-sharing related to pathogen information remain ongoing. It added that these discussions will likely continue for one to two years and only after completing this annex will Member States receive the final accord for signature and potential ratification. According to the ministry, each country will decide independently whether to sign and the accord will enter into force once at least 60 ratifications have been secured.

During the assembly, Minister Deprez also held a bilateral meeting with Executive Director of the WHO Academy, Dr David Atchoarena. The academy, which is headquartered in Lyon (France), was inaugurated in November 2024. The ministry confirmed that Luxembourg will explore opportunities to collaborate with the academy and will engage with other ministries, as well as the University of Luxembourg, to establish a strategic global partnership.

Moreover, Minister Deprez met with Director of the WHO’s Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) Department, Dr Stella Chungong. Luxembourg will host a high-level WHO mission in the third quarter of 2025 to launch the UHPR review, a tool designed to strengthen universal health coverage and preparedness for public health emergencies.