The Philippines will serve as president of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) to be held in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2025.

This marks the first time the Philippines will head the assembly since the World Health Organization (WHO) was founded in 1948.

The WHA is the WHO’s highest decision-making body and meets annually in Geneva. It is attended by delegates from all 194 WHO member states, including 37 countries and territories in the Western Pacific which includes the Philippines.

The assembly’s main functions are to appoint the director-general, set the organization’s policies, oversee financial policies, and review and approve the program budget.

WHA officers are formally elected by acclamation at the start of each session, in accordance with the assembly’s rules of procedure.

The president oversees WHA proceedings and guides critical discussions and decisions on global health policies and initiatives. The president may also appoint five vice presidents to act in his or her behalf during meetings. The vice presidents are chosen by lot during the election session.

Member states traditionally elect a president from each of the six WHO regions — Western Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Eastern Mediterranean — rotating annually. For the 78th session, the president will come from the Western Pacific region. The last WHA president from the region was Laos in 2019.

The Department of Health said the nomination “comes at a pivotal time for the Philippines” as the country pursues various global health initiatives. These include strengthening its health workforce, promoting universal healthcare through primary healthcare, and leading efforts in tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and patient safety.

Through its leadership of the WHA, the Philippines aims to highlight the importance of resilient health systems and international cooperation in addressing global health challenges.

In a statement, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa thanked the Philippines’ neighbors in the Western Pacific “for the trust and confidence.”

“Filipinos are recognized as bridge builders in the international community,” Herbosa said. “Our nomination by the Western Pacific member states as WHA78 president is a recognition of our collective contribution and leadership in international health.”

The WHA presidency is for the duration of the assembly, until a new president is elected the following year this time from the Americas.