156th World Health Organization Executive Board: key discussions

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus’s opening remarks highlight that NCDs, including diabetes, are a key priority

The first day of EB156 opened with a report by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus. In his remarks, Dr. Tedros underscored some of the key achievements made during 2024 as well as the ongoing challenges in global health. Notably, he emphasised the fact that NCDs account for seven of the top ten causes of death globally, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Addressing the risk factors of NCDs, including tobacco and unhealthy diets, are among some of WHO’s key actions in the prevention of NCDs. Beyond NCDs, Dr. Tedros outlined achievement in other WHO priorities, including achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases, and bolstering preparedness and response to health emergencies. With over 1.6 million people dying from diabetes in 2021, IDF Europe reiterates the necessity of keeping diabetes, and NCDs, high on the global health agenda and welcomes the continued efforts by WHO to prevent the development of diabetes. Find Dr. Tedros’ full remarks here.

Member States reaffirm their commitment to global collaboration on health

Following Dr. Tedros’ opening address, Member States delivered statements reflecting their key concerns and priorities for the coming EB sessions. Many Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the WHO, emphasising that global health is a shared responsibility that transcends borders. Several Member States expressed concern over the financial constraints facing the WHO, which could hinder its ability to achieve shared health goals. However, a strong consensus emerged on the need for predictable funding to ensure sustainable progress. Poland, speaking on behalf of the European Union, emphasised the importance of keeping NCDs high on the global health agenda, particularly in light of the upcoming high-level meeting on NCDs. IDF Europe welcomes this reaffirmation of commitment and the recognition that tackling NCDs, including diabetes, remains a global priority.

What’s ahead: EB156

Over the coming days, the EB will address a wide range of key health topics such as Universal Health Coverage (UHC), health emergency preparedness, the health and care workforce and the impacts of climate on health. Today, starting from 10.00 am CET, on February 4, the EB will discuss the follow-up to the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of NCDs, including the topic of reducing the burden of NCDs through strengthening prevention and control of diabetes. Find the full agenda for the EB here.

On the second day of the 156th session of the WHO Executive Board, discussions focused on the follow-up to the Political Declaration of the Third High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of NCDs. These discussions revolved around the progress report on four separate World Health Assembly Resolutions regarding NCDs, including resolution WHA74.4 from 2021 on reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases through strengthening the control of diabetes.

What is Resolution WHA74.4?

Adopted in 2021, Resolution WHA74.4 reflects a collective commitment by Members States (MS) to address diabetes as a critical global health challenge. The resolution urges MS to implement whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to address diabetes and to prioritise the prevention and control of diabetes within national NCD responses. More specifically, the Resolution urges MS to work towards:

• Achieving global targets such as the five volontary global diabetes-related targets by 2025
• Addressing risk factors and the promotion of policies and measures to minimise their impact
• Promoting prevention, early detection and treatment
• Improving access to affordable essential health services, diagnostics, and medicines, including insulin
• Strengthening health systems, particularly primary health care to provide integrated and people-centred services to people living with diabetes (PwD)
• Addressing inequities in access to care and medicines between and within MS

Where do we stand now?

The WHO launched several initiatives to support MS in addressing the growing burden of NCDs. In response to WHA74.4, as mentioned in the progress report, for diabetes, these include the launch of the WHO Global Diabetes Compact; the publication of a technical brief and actions to address the global obesity epidemic, a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes. However, NCDs—including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancer—remain the leading cause of death globally, and the report presented at EB156 reveals that alarmingly, progress towards meeting global targets, such as those in the NCD Global Monitoring Framework and SDG Target 3.4, has stalled:

• The decline in premature deaths from NCDs slowed between 2015 and 2019, halving the rate of progress achieved between 2000 and 2015.
• Behavioural risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, such as uncontrolled hypertension and physical inactivity, remain inadequately addressed, with key targets—such as a 25% reduction in uncontrolled hypertension and a 15% reduction in physical inactivity—off track.

Throughout the EB discussions, MS expressed their concern over the lagging progress in addressing NCDs. Statements from Ethiopia, Qatar, Israel, and others underscored the growing burden of diabetes on individuals, health systems and their economies. The European Union, represented by both Poland and Norway, highlighted the economic and social harm caused by NCDs. Representatives from both countries called for the adoption of cost-effective, evidence-based interventions, such as the WHO “best buys.” Recurring themes in the discussions included the need to strengthen primary healthcare systems, to address shared NCD risk factors and to foster cross-sectoral collaboration to achieve shared goals. MS also emphasised the importance of the upcoming fourth high-level meeting on NCDs as a critical opportunity to reflect on progress, identify gaps and reinforce political commitments. A representative from Norway said, “we have a long way to go before the agreed action plans on NCDs are implemented, and we need to work across sectors and with civil society if we are to achieve our common goals.”

It’s time to accelerate progress

IDF Europe commends the ongoing efforts by the WHO and MS in working towards reducing the burden of NCDs across the world. However, we are deeply concerned by the slow progress made towards achieving the NCD targets. We reiterate the necessity of accelerating action on diabetes and other NCDs. We urge MS to:

• Prioritise and implement diabetes and NCD plans in national health strategies, ensuring adequate resources are allocated for their prevention and management.
• Strengthen primary healthcare systems to act early and provide integrated, people-centred diabetes and NCD care
• Engage with civil society organisations and PwD and other NCDs to implement sustainable solutions to tackling NCDs, especially in the preparation of the upcoming high-level meeting on NCDs

Turning the tide on diabetes and NCDs will require coordinated, cross-sectoral collaboration and action, and sustained political commitment. Together, let’s work toward a healthier future.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO established a Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (SCHEPPR). The SCHEPPR aims to provide strategic guidance and oversight on global health emergencies by advising the WHO EB and Director-General (DG) on emergencies’ preparedness and response, and the strengthening of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, both in the context of declared Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC) and broader emergency preparedness efforts. On February 6, the EB focused its attention on the report of the fifth meeting of SCHEPPR and the WHO’s work in health emergencies from the period of January 1 to September 30, 2024.

WHO conducts extensive work to respond to emergencies but will they be able to continue?

The reports highlight the critical role WHO plays in surveilling and responding to public health emergencies worldwide. In 2024, all WHO regions were affected by health emergencies, with 44 graded emergencies recorded by September. The increasing prevalence of climate-related disasters, humanitarian crises and attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel is alarming. In the European Region, eight graded emergencies were identified, including outbreaks of communicable diseases such as dengue, cholera, COVID-19, and mpox, as well as conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, alongside natural disasters.

Finland, Belgium, Germany and Poland, who delivered a joint statement on behalf of EU Member States (MS), underscored the importance of emergency prevention and response as a core WHO function. They expressed deep concern over the potential financial consequences linked to the USA’s WHO withdrawal. They furthermore emphasised the need for MS to collaborate with WHO to sustain emergency efforts and urged WHO to secure flexible and sustainable funding to ensure global health security.

IDF Europe Reiterates the Need for Sustained Emergency Response Efforts to Protect People Living with Diabetes (PwD) and Other NCDs

The WHO’s continued focus on emergency response efforts is critical, as crises disproportionately affect people living with NCDs. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored how individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, face heightened risks of morbidity and mortality during disease outbreaks. Beyond pandemics, conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies disrupt healthcare services, making it harder for PwD and other NCDs to access essential treatments and medicines causing challenges in diabetes management. In humanitarian settings, weakened health systems and supply chain breakdowns further exacerbate these challenges.

Prioritising NCDs in emergency preparedness and response

To ensure that people living with diabetes and/or other NCDs receive the care they need during crises, we urge MS and WHO to:

• Build resilient health systems equipped to address the growing burden of diabetes and other NCDs, to reduce the impact of NCDs and ensure continuity of care during emergencies.
• Integrate NCD care into emergency frameworks, recognising PwD and those living with NCDs as a vulnerable group.
• Secure sustainable funding to support WHO’s emergency efforts and safeguard global health security.

On the fifth day of the Executive Board (EB), Member States (MS) and health stakeholders addressed a wide range of health issues, including communicable diseases, substandard and falsified medical products, standardisation of medical devices, the draft global traditional medicine strategy (2025-2034) and notably the health and care workforce. A resilient workforce is the backbone of effective health systems, yet workforce shortages continue to threaten the sustainability of healthcare worldwide.

The latest WHO report highlights a global shortage of 14.7 million health workers as of 2023—a slight improvement from 15.4 million in 2020, but progress remains slow. Additionally, projections for 2030 are showing an increase in the health workers shortfallfrom 10.2 million to 11.1 million. Workforce ageing, attrition and migration further exacerbate these shortages, increasing pressure on already overstretched health systems.

WHO’s efforts to address workforce challenges

The WHO Director-General presented two key reports on the health and care workforce to the EB:

• A progress update on The Global strategy on human resources for health: workforce 2030, which provides a comprehensive framework for addressing health workforce challenges globally and supports MS in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 on universal health coverage (UHC).
• The findings from the fifth round of national reporting on the implementation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, which is a framework guiding ethical international recruitment of health personnel to ensure fair global workforce distribution.

These reports highlight both progress and persistent challenges in building a sustainable and equitably distributed health workforce. While efforts are being made, gaps remain in workforce supply, retention and international recruitment policies. Key findings from the reports include:

• The current ratio of new graduates to existing health care workers is insufficient to retain a sustainable workforce. This ratio needs to increase from 1 in 19 to 1 in 10.
• Workforce distribution is highly uneven: the European Region has 12.5 million health workers while the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions only have 2.6 and 2.8 respectively, while retaining health workers in rural and remote areas remains a significant challenge.
• Although the global shortage is decreasing, the gap is widening with an increased shortage in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
• Despite having the highest density of health workers, high- and upper-middle income countries will still need to recruit 8.4 million additional workers by 2030 to meet growing healthcare demands.
• A record 86 countries submitted reports on the WHO Global Code, highlighting persistent workforce distribution challenges, rising migration and the need for stronger international collaboration and ethical recruitment.

Member States shared their perspective on how to tackle the workforce challenges we are currently facing

MS unanimously emphasised the fact that workforce shortages hinder progress towards UHC and require urgent action. Beyond workforce shortages, the migration and unequal distribution of the health workforce in high- and middle-income countries and urban areas is a major concern and exacerbates health inequalities between and within countries. Romania highlighted how, especially following its ascension to the European Union (EU), the country faced significant emigration of their workforce. However, a combination of reforms targeting salary increases, education, investment in infrastructure and workforce policies targeting factors such as working conditions and workforce distribution have slowed migration and increased retention. Poland, delivering a statement on behalf of EU MS, explained that efforts need to be made in enhancing working conditions through competitive salaries and benefits, including through ending the gender pay gap. France outlined how the implementation of bonuses and tax benefits in underserved areas has helped retain a more equal distribution of workers across the country. Brunei stated that workforce challenges go beyond the numbers and highlighted that it is not sufficient to have a workforce only adequate in numbers, but it also has to be resilient and well trained. The International Council of Nurses delivered a constituency statement highlighting that working conditions for health workers are deteriorating as governments cut health budgets and global urgent action is required.

Bridging Workforce Gaps for Better Diabetes Outcomes

The global shortage of healthcare workers significantly affects the prevention, management and care of diabetes. IDF Europe reiterates that a resilient and well-supported health workforce is required to meet the complex needs of the growing number of people living with diabetes (PwD). IDF Europe urges MS and the WHO to address the urgent issues related to workforce shortages and training to ensure equitable access to quality care for PwD. We call on MS to:

• Strengthen health workers’ education to equip them with the tools needed to implement evidence-based diabetes and NCD care and support patient empowerment
• Invest in primary care systems and expand the role of diabetes specialist nurses to ensure comprehensive, patient-centred care for PwD
• Promote the adoption and uptake of digital health solutions to help mitigate workforce shortages and improve the delivery of personalised and integrated diabetes care

We commend MS and the WHO on their efforts to address the challenges facing the health and care workforce and reiterate that sustained investment in the health workforce is critical to ensuring equitable healthcare access and improving outcomes for PwD.