BMZ Side Events at the 79th World Health Assembly
@GIZ
From 18 to 23 May 2026, representatives from all WHO Member States, multilateral and regional organisations, academia, civil society, NGOs, private sector and many more, congregated in Geneva for the 79th World Health Assembly – a week of formal negotiations, bilateral meetings, side events and discussion on global health concerns. This year’s theme was: “Reshaping global health: a shared responsibility”.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) used this opportunity to host three side events with international partners, each tackling a different dimension of that shared responsibility.
Access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) commodities
Together with the Southern African Development Community (SADC), BMZ co-hosted the Team Europe event “From Production to Access: Strengthening Sustainable Supply of SRH Commodities.” Participants explored how manufacturing, financing and procurement can be better aligned along the value chain to ensure reliable supply. The event highlighted the commitment of the Team Europe Initiatives MAV+ and SRHR under the AU-EU Partnership, bringing together the European Commission, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Digital Transformation
Digitalisation was at the centre of the event “Pharma 4.0: Strengthening Local Production of Pharmaceuticals and Supply Chain Systems in Africa through Digitalisation.” Hosted by BMZ, the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) and the European Commission (DG INTPA), participants discussed digital solutions for manufacturing, quality assurance, regulation and logistics, and explored opportunities to accelerate the digital transformation of pharmaceutical production across Africa.
Pandemic Preparedness
Together with WHO, DG HERA/European Commission and the Geneva Graduate Institute, BMZ co-hosted the side event “From Preparedness to Crisis Response: Ensuring Equitable Access to Medical Countermeasures.” Against the backdrop of the Ebola outbreak and Pandemic Agreement negotiations, experts highlighted the need to close financing gaps for crisis response. Matthias Seiche from BMZ emphasised that all countries must contribute to sustainable pandemic financing and that strong coordination is essential to ensure equitable access and safeguard the progress made in pandemic preparedness.
Thomas Piekarczyk, Madeleine Kalish and Pelumi Olusanya-Winter
August 2026