WMA Resolution on Health Workforce at the World Health Organization (WHO)
Adopted by the 76th WMA General Assembly, Porto, Portugal, October 2025
PREAMBLE
The health workforce is the backbone of health systems. Effective healthcare service delivery necessitates adequately resourced, educated, ethically recruited and employed health professionals in decent working conditions.
The world is facing an 11 million health worker shortage by 2030 to achieve universal health coverage. Now more than ever, a strong global leadership at the WHO is necessary to effectively support and strengthen the health workforce through developing evidence and normative guidance to support member states in planning, employing, and retaining their national workforce.
Member states have reiterated their support by adopting yet another resolution at the 78th World Health Assembly titled “Accelerate implementation of the Global strategy on human resources for health: Workforce 2030.”
The WHO is currently undergoing a restructuring process, planning to downsize the Health Workforce Department and move its staff to the WHO Academy.
The World Medical Association expresses its concern about the currently planned restructuring process, which will significantly impede the WHO’s ability to continue its leadership in accelerating global progress on the health workforce.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- The WMA calls urgently on the World Health Organization’s Director-General to prioritise the health workforce by upholding its Health Workforce Department as a separate entity, ensuring it continues to be adequately staffed with strong leadership.
- Additionally, we request that the department remain in its headquarters in Geneva to ensure cross-collaboration, particularly with the Health Systems, Universal Health Coverage, Non-Communicable Diseases departments among others, as well as with the Health Professional Associations, which are largely headquartered in the Geneva region.