Reflections from the 158th WHO Executive Board meeting
The 158th WHO Executive Board meeting (EB) wrapped up last week. With that, so too did the discussion on “Harmonization of regulatory approaches, governance and standards for data, digital health and artificial intelligence in the health sector”, which was covered under agenda 15.
Transform Health and many of our partners had high hopes going into the week following years of advocating for health data governance to be on the agenda. As part of an open letter from 15 senior leaders of global health organisations, we were calling for Member States to make concrete commitments towards a global framework and resolution on health data governance, to ensure health data is managed ethically, safely, and fairly.
The EB discussion offered another reminder of the growing importance of digital health, AI, and health data, while also shedding light on some of the challenges and current limitations of current approaches to governance.
Despite our initial enthusiasm going into the session, the overall outcome was unfortunately lacklustre: there was a fair amount of reference to key words, issues and needs, but these were contained in largely cautious statements with few commitments, limited clarity on next steps, and little sense of urgency. The statements felt like a rinse and repeat by Member States from the ones made last year in connection to the extension of the Global Strategy on Digital Health from 2025 to 2027.
The combining of multiple, largely unrelated agenda items into a single session by the EB this year didn’t help, and diluted what could have been a focused and substantive discussion on digital health, AI, and health data governance.
That said, several themes did emerge from government statements:
- Strong data governance, interoperable health information systems, and clear stewardship are prerequisites for responsible AI in health.
- Protecting human rights, data security, cybersecurity, and national sovereignty are essential for public trust.
- Global standards are important, but must allow for adaptation to national contexts and capacities.
- Interoperability, and coherent, connected health information systems are critical to unlocking the value of digital health and AI.
- The need for capacity building, technical assistance, and stronger regional and global cooperation is widely recognised.
While these themes reflect growing consensus, consensus alone is no longer sufficient. What is needed are agreed norms, i.e. globally agreed rules, standards and benchmarks that guide the digital transformation of health and the governance of health data across countries, which then guide national laws, regulations, or policies.
There were also a few commitments towards the next Global Digital Health Strategy (2028–2033). While health data governance must of course be prioritised in the next Global Strategy, we cannot afford to wait another two years for global commitments and action on this issue. And such an important issue requires its own framework and political commitment now.
Looking to the World Health Assembly in May
Health data governance is the foundation for responsible digital health and AI, central to public trust, and essential for upholding equity, ethics and rights. Yet governance frameworks and laws, as well as global cooperation on this issue, continue to lag behind digital advances, which creates real and growing risks.
While the EB may have been a missed opportunity to move the needle on this issue, the opportunity is not fully lost. Looking ahead to the 79th World Health Assembly in May, there is still an opportunity – and need – for more ambitious commitments and action. A resolution on health data governance would provide a critical pathway to advance global cooperation, establish a shared framework and standards, support robust and compatible national approaches, and foster responsible cross-border data sharing.
We are calling on WHO and Member States to:
- Support a resolution on health data governance at this year’s World Health Assembly, ensuring it includes commitments on global norms and standards.
- Commit to strengthen national health data legislation and regulation.
- Ensure national and global health data governance frameworks are grounded in equity and rights-based principles and inclusive processes.
- Establish concrete reporting and accountability mechanisms to track progress on these commitments (through the World Health Assembly and the next Global Digital Health Strategy).
- Co-host an official Member State side event on health data governance during the World Health Assembly in May 2026.
We look to WHO Member States to step up to the plate to ensure this happens!